


Almost Living

by AkuChibi



Series: Almost Living [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst and Humor, Bondage, Eventual Romance, M/M, Male Slash, Rape/Non-con Elements, Soul Bond, Violence, slight torture elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-22
Updated: 2014-12-22
Packaged: 2018-03-02 22:19:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 61
Words: 204,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2828060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkuChibi/pseuds/AkuChibi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You can't complain when you're bottom. Not even if your sometimes-hook-up throws surprise sex at you. Of course, it's hard to complain when the asshole you're stuck with is the only thing keeping you alive. And, let's face it, you think he's hot. M/M slash. Explicit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, guys. This is a story I wrote and finished about a year ago. It's kind of all over the place in some parts because when I started writing it, I had no idea where I was going with it. I literally just opened a new document and started writing, and got to chapter 5 before I tried to incorporate any sort of real plot. From there it grew.
> 
> I am posting it here, now, because I like the formatting here better than the other site, honestly, and I am eager to share book 2, Almost Dying. It, too, is completed and I will be starting book 3 soon. Book 2 is a lot better than this one, which is why I'm eager to share it, but I hope this one will sound okay, too. If not, that's fine, I guess. I already have reviews on another site ;) It's my most popular story there. So I felt like sharing. Comment?
> 
> A few notes:  
> -This story does NOT involve vampires, let's get that clear right now. Nor does it really involve werewolves.  
> -This story is over 200k. Yay?  
> -Its sequel is also complete.  
> -This story involves a slash pairing between two guys. If you don't like it, click the back button. No skin off my back.  
> -In chapter 2 there is rape/surprise sex. Feel free to skip over it and go straight to chapter 3. It doesn't really have much to do with the plot, but lets you see how the main character is treated, kind of.
> 
> The writing in this isn't the best; I wrote it a while ago. I started it 2 years ago, finished it a little more than a year ago. The sequel is much better, I promise. Anyway... enjoy, I guess. I would really love comments and the like, but if not, I guess that's okay, too ;)

Chapter One: First Encounter

 

I didn’t normally cut through the wooded park on my way home, but it was getting late and it was faster than traveling around. I usually steered clear of it because it had long since been an actual park where people gathered. These days it was mostly deserted, save for a few weirdoes selling drugs near the broken down tire swing. Just beyond that was the entrance to the woods. I stepped onto the dirt path and stuffed my hands in my pockets. It was a rather chilly night with temperatures dropping into the high thirties. My jacket wasn’t considered ‘winter-worthy’ by any standers. It was basically a piece of fabric formed to fit over my arms but didn’t really serve a great purpose in warming me. Hence my desire to get home quick and cut through the woods.

            But having a light jacket was only my first mistake. Perhaps it wouldn’t even matter later.

            But I’m getting ahead of myself.

            It was nearly midnight. The moon was full and high in the sky. It shone brightly through the thin veil of clouds. I didn’t normally stay out so late but I’d been at my friend’s house having a few drinks and hadn’t noticed the passing time. Not thinking myself sober enough to drive, I’d left my car at his place and had instead traveled on foot. It was only thirteen blocks to my place. About a twenty minute walk if I cut through the woods. Nearly forty if I went around.

            Besides, it was a rather large woods at the edge of town. I would only be crossing through a small part of it, practically just the tip. I wouldn’t be in there long and it would save me time. It wasn’t like I was going deep into it.

            There were no signs saying to not enter the woods. It was just a common knowledge that people didn’t go into dark areas at night, especially areas like this. The tall grass along the thin dirt trail scratched at my pants like loose vines. Blades flew off and clung to my clothes with the dampness of the storm earlier. The dirt was sodden and soft but not quite mud.

            It was common knowledge to steer clear of the woods. Parents warned their children of it, the park was deserted and forgotten, and here I was, marching through the woods at midnight on a Saturday night.

            Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was the cold. Either way, there I was, clad in a light jacket, long-sleeved shirt, and faded blue jeans. My sneakers were covered in wet dirt. Not quite mud, but close. I knew people steered clear of here for a reason, but it just didn’t seem to matter to me. I just wanted to get home and this was the fastest way without a car.

            That was my second mistake.

            A twig snapped nearby. I looked but saw only looming shadows from the twisted branches of the trees. Shrugging to myself, I continued onward. Despite the cold, I was in a good mood. Alcohol usually did that to me. It could make even dark things, like the woods, seem like a good place.

            I didn’t hear the movement. I didn’t see the shadow. Not until it was too late.

            By then I’d been tackled to the ground and turned so I was on my back. Knees jammed hard into my ribs and knocked the breath from my lungs. I fought to regain my air and stared at my attacker.

            Except I wasn’t sure it was human.

            A wolfish snarl escaped the half-transformed face. I thought at first it was a dog but then I saw the eyes. Those eyes couldn’t be mistaken for anything but human, despite the inhuman glow to them. Hands snaked around my arms, pinning them above my head. I stared and struggled only to have one of the hands jerk free of my arm and clamp tight around my mouth.

            The face shifted and became human. The dog-like nose disappeared and the furry face left to be replaced by the face of what looked like a man in his twenties. Dark blue eyes bore into mine.

            “Don’t say a word,” he hissed, eyes narrowed, a snarl in his voice.

            I nodded, eyes wide as I stared at him. My heart raced in my chest.

            “I’m going to let you up. But if you try to run…” His gaze darkened and sharp fangs showed behind his lips. “If you run, I _will_ catch you. And you’ll wish you were dead. Understand?”

            I nodded roughly.

            He nodded once and climbed off me. I lay there for a moment, trying to calm my racing heart, and then started to get to my feet. I stood and watched him as he paced back and forth in front of me.

            “You shouldn’t have come here,” he said darkly. “You really shouldn’t have. We kill intruders.”

            I flinched. “I didn’t mean to,” I told him honestly.

            “You reek of alcohol. All you humans think alcohol gives you an excuse to do anything you want.” He sneered. “You disgust me.”

            “I’m sorry, I just - humans?” I caught onto his words. “What do you mean? What the hell _are_ you?”

            His eyes flashed in the darkness. “I would bite your tongue if I were you, human,” he said lowly. “Or I might just go ahead and follow through with the rules and kill you.”

            “I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “I just…I was just taking a short cut! I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to be here! There’s no signs!”

            “I don’t care about your signs. We own this territory, human. Outsiders are to be killed on sight.”

            I swallowed and took a breath, struggling to think. What was happening? “So…why didn’t you kill me?” Not that I wanted him to.

            I was just kind of curious.

            He snorted. “Don’t think I won’t,” he threatened. “Let’s just say if I kill you, other humans will come here _looking_ for you and then we’d have to leave or kill mass amounts of people.” He shook his head. “Sorry, doesn’t sound like _fun_ to me.”

            “We?”

            “You think I’m the only one out here?”

            “Well…I don’t know! I didn’t know anyone was even out here in the first place,” I said, shaking my head. “What are you doing out here? Why? Since when?” I had so many questions. I wanted to ask ‘what’ he was because that face earlier hadn’t been human. I was sure.

            “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

            “Hah hah. Wait…you’re joking, right?” I glanced him over. He stood stiff and his expression was that of a stone. His gaze held mine steadily. “I won’t tell anyone you’re here,” I told him. I didn’t want to die.

            Especially when I didn’t even know what was going on.

            “You bet you won’t.” He stepped toward me determinedly.

            “Murder isn’t the answer,” I said weakly, my throat suddenly dry.

            “Shut up,” he snapped.

            “I-”

            “If you want to _live_ , then shut the hell _up_ ,” he hissed, his expression intense. I snapped my mouth closed and stood there.

            I debated about running. If I just took off, it’d take him a second at least to process the fact I was running. That might buy me some time. Then again he’d taken me by surprise once already. Plus he’d said he would kill me if I ran.

            That was a lie.

            He’d actually said I would ‘wish I was dead’.

            I thought that was actually worse. I couldn’t picture myself wanting to die.

            It was quiet for a long moment. He was so close I could see the way his breath misted across my face. His breath smelled of mints. His eyes were dark and cold.

            What was he going to do? What was happening? I didn’t understand. I just wanted to go home!

            “What are-” I started but was again cut off. This time he jabbed me in the chest with the side of his hand. It hurt more than I would have thought and I hissed in pain.

            “Be. Quiet.”

            _But what’s happening?_ I wanted to ask.

            Except I thought he might kill me for speaking again. So I stayed quiet.

            Moments passed. I wasn’t sure how many. All I knew I was getting irritated by the continued puff of mints I was getting each time he breathed.

            Finally he stepped away. “They’re gone,” he said. “For now.”

            “Gone? Who?” I didn’t understand.

            He just looked me up and down as though sizing me up. He was quiet for a moment before he shook his head. “I suggest you leave before they come back.” Then he spun on his heel and started back toward the trees.

            “What? Hey, wait a minute!” I couldn’t believe I was running after him but I was. I wanted answers. “What’s going on? What do you mean? Who’s coming back?”

            “Get out of here,” he threw over his shoulder as he disappeared into the trees. I stared and stopped. For a moment, I watched the trees.

            Then I turned and promptly got the hell out of there as fast as my legs could carry me.

 

 

 

The next day, after I took a long shower and slept for about seven hours, I called my friend, the one I’d been with the night before.

            “John, hey, it’s me,” I said as soon as he answered the phone. It was probably unnecessary seeing as how he had caller ID but I felt like introducing myself just the same. It was how I was brought up.

            “Terry, hey,” he said. “ ‘sup, man? Did you get home okay? Your car’s still chillin’ here, you know.”

            “I know. I actually wanted to ask you something.”

            “Okay, what?” he asked.

            I bit down on my bottom lip. It made sense a minute ago, to ask him, but now I just wasn’t sure. “What do you know about the woods off Walker Street?” I asked somewhat timidly.

            “I know they’re pretty thick and go on for, like, fuckin’ _ever_. No one goes to that park anymore ‘cause it’s right on the damn _edge_. Who put a park there? Seriously? Some nut job if you ask me.”

            “Nice to know. What else do you know about it?”

            “Not much. No one goes there, man.”

            “Why not? It’s just a woods,” I said.

            “I don’t know, some hippie shit or something. Druggies galore, all that jazz. Rumors started - from the druggies, I think. Monsters in the trees, missing people, all that crap. Nothing was ever discovered, though. Or proven. Fuck if I know.”

            “Oh…okay.”

            “Why you asking?”

            “I just…nothing.” Telling him would be crazy. There was no way he’d believe me.

            “Alright. Hey, Rufus was asking about you.”

            “Oh?” I smiled and blew my black bangs out of my eyes. I’d been hooking up with Rufus on and off for about a month now. I liked the guy but he lived out of town so it was hard to see him unless I wanted to drive there, and my car was a piece of crap and barely made it through town, let alone to another town.

            “Something about going to your place tonight to fuck the shit out of you, I dunno.”

            I snorted. Yeah, that sounded like Rufus alright. It wasn’t that I opposed, I just wish he wouldn’t phrase it like that. Even if it was true.

            “What time is he coming?”

            “Dunno. Said he was going to surprise you.”

            “Oh…okay.” Well, it was nice to have a little warning, at least. “Thanks for the heads-up.”

            “No problem, man. Don’t let him fuck up your ass too much.”

            “Har-har,” I mocked.

            He snickered. “I gotta go, man. My food’s here.”

            I glanced at the clock. “It’s only four.”

            “Yeah, but unlike _some_ people, I work the night shift. I need my food.”

            I smirked. “Whatever. Talk to you later, dude.”

            “Yeah, yeah,” he said, and then hung up.

            I put the phone down and sighed.

            I still hadn’t found out much about the woods. There weren’t monsters in there - lots of people had walked through the trees and come out alive. Nothing had ever been found to suggest anything wrong with it other than the fact people steered clear of it.

            I was missing something, I knew I was. I just couldn’t place it and it was driving me crazy.

            Ten minutes later I thought I heard a noise in the kitchen. I entered the room but saw nothing out of ordinary. Sometimes my refrigerator made weird noises so I wasn’t concerned. I grabbed a Coke from the fridge and turned to exit the kitchen. Except as I exited the room and turned to head down the small hallway toward the living room, I felt a blindfold slide over my eyes. Shocked, I flailed about and smacked against an arm but was then pushed into the wall.

            I was spun quite rapidly and nearly tripped as I swung at my attacker. My wrist was caught and, using my own momentum against me, my attacker brought it behind my back. Then they snagged my other one and brought it back as well, despite how I tugged, and rammed me stomach-first into the wall as some kind of rope slipped around my wrists and was cinched tightly. The fabric was soft, though, and not terribly rough against my skin.

            “What the-” I started and was cut off as something was shoved into my mouth. Something round and soft. The gag was fastened on and all that came out next was a muffled “Mmphhh”.

            I kicked blindly, searching for my attacker, but instead I wound up ramming my big toe right into the edge of the doorway. Hissing, I dropped my leg and willed the stubbed toe pain away.

            I hated stubbed toes.

            I felt a hand grab my arm and shove me forward. I nearly tripped but kept my balance, tugging at the rope around my wrists but I wasn’t getting free. The rope wasn’t too tight but just tight enough I couldn’t slip my hands free without skinning them.

            I heard a door close behind me. Only my bedroom and the bathroom had doors, save for the one closet, but it wasn’t big enough to actually walk in. I wasn’t sure which room I was in. I still had on my socks. The floor felt hard, though. My bedroom had rough carpet floors so perhaps I was there. Then again my bathroom had a hardwood floor. Maybe I was there.

            Either place caused a spike of fear to snare around my heart. Why would my attacker take me to either of those places?

            I shot my leg out when I heard a breath but only kicked thin air. Mentally I cursed to myself.

            I was shoved forward and I tripped over something tall and hard. Before I could smash to the ground, hands caught me and lowered me gently over the edge of whatever I had tripped on. As my face touched the cool surface I realized where I was.

            In the bathroom. More specifically, hunched over the edge of the bathtub, my face pressed against the bottom of the tub.

            I couldn’t push myself up enough to stand. My efforts just made me slide into the tub all the more.

            Fingers slid around my waist and undid my pants. I kicked out but caught nothing. Where were they standing, then? My legs could only kick straight out from this position. I was screwed.

            My pants were tugged down my hips and thighs. My feet kicked but even so, eventually the fabric fell away from my body and I heard them being dropped on the ground. My blue jeans. I’d just put them on about an hour ago when I’d woken up.

            Something snagged on my underwear. I recognized it as scissors as they began cutting the fabric away. I squirmed but there wasn’t much I could do in this position.

            Finally I was hauled to my feet. My backed ached from the previous position. Next I felt the scissors scratching at my shirt. The shirt tore away and now I was completely nude. My socks had been torn off when they’d gotten caught on my pants when I’d been kicking my legs.

            I was naked.

            And tied up.

            With some stranger.

            And so very exposed.


	2. Stranger Danger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter with the rape stuff. Feel free to skip it.

Chapter Two: Stranger Danger

 

 

            I tried to push my gag out with my tongue. Maybe if I got it out I could scream for help. I lived in an apartment in a one-story apartment complex. If I screamed loud enough, someone would hear. They had to.

            But I couldn’t push it out. It was fastened around my face and that thing was still in my mouth, muffling my sounds further.

            It took me a minute to recognize what the gag was.

            A penis-shaped gag which fastened around my head with things that looked like belt loops. I had seen one before - not personally, but when John had been looking online for ‘toys’.

            It wasn’t a toy now. It was hindering my safety.

            I heard the shower turn on.

            Oh no.

            The sound of the water shifted, grew. I realized the shower wasn’t on but the bath faucet.

            What was this person planning?

            I didn’t really want to know.

            The water continued to run. I could hear the sound shift as the tub began to fill up. My anxiety upped a notch.

            _Please let me go - I don’t want to die!_

            I hadn’t wanted to die last night and that certainly hadn’t changed.

            I was shoved forward. The water was still going and I ran into the edge of the tub again.

            Another length of rope slipped between my hands and the rope that held them hostage. I squirmed but couldn’t get away. I would have kicked the person but my legs were pinned against the edge of the tub and they were standing too close behind me for me to move them enough to kick.

            I felt them move somewhat, reaching up, but for what, I didn’t know. At least not right away.

            Then the rope between my wrists grew taut and began to lift my wrists up.

            Having my wrists lifted while behind my back hurt. My arm muscles cried in protest. At first I went on my tip-toes to escape the discomfort but then the wrists rose too high and I was forced to bend over to let them get up high enough. The rope continued higher and then stopped.

            The rope held there for a moment before it went slack and I was able to drop back down and stop bending.

            I realized it must have been looped around the pole for the shower curtain, like a pulley system. But he’d let go, or something, and now I was free to let my arms relax.

            Hands grabbed my legs. Squeezed my thighs. Gingerly slapped my ass. Then my legs were pulled back somewhat from the edge. Now was my chance, I had to kick them, I had to-

            A shoe kicked the back of my legs and had me going down. I hit my knees hard and mumbled in protest.

            A loop slipped around my right ankle. My kicking only helped the person tighten the loop so it wouldn’t slip off. The rope was pulled taut and my leg was jerked sideways a ways before the person moved. It must have been tied off. To what, I didn’t know. I suddenly couldn’t remember the layout of my bathroom.

            The bath was still going. How long had it been? Two minutes? I thought about how long it took it to fill. It was a deep tub, which was what I liked about it, so it was probably only a quarter of the way filled, depending on how much water he was letting out of the faucet at once.

            Another loop fit around my left ankle. Like before, it was tightened and then my leg was jerked to the left side. The rope was pulled somewhat and then tied off.

            They weren’t completely tight - taut but I could move a little.

            Hands shoved my ass forward, causing me to scoot forward on my knees until I was pressed firmly into the tub, my waist at the top of the edge.

            I heard movement. The water was shut off. Suddenly my wrists were moving again. Going up higher.

            I bent over as much as I could but they were still getting higher.

            My bathtub was deep, which meant the edges, or sides, were tall. I couldn’t bend over any more unless I shifted enough to bring my waist up enough to bend over the edge.

            I used what little slack I had left from my leg restrains and forced myself up a little, despite the discomfort and pain. The rope pulled a little more and I shifted over more, the side of the tub cutting into my thighs, until finally, the rope was tied off and I was held there.

            Now I was really bent over. Like, my face was dipping down into the interior of the tub and my wrists were somewhere up above, suspended as I was hunched forward.

            My ass was in the air. My waist was bent at the edge of the tub. My legs were parted so much now that I’d scooted forward that my ass cheeks were spread apart somewhat.

            I had a vague notion of what was going to happen next but I wanted desperately to stop it and get away.

            I mumbled into my gag. I wanted to shout at the person, scream for help, ask what they were doing, why they were doing this…but only my incoherent, muffled sound made it from around the penis gag.

            _What are you doing? Why are you doing this?_

            I wanted to know. But nothing was coming to mind.

            Just anxious fear at what might happen next.

            My fears were confirmed when a finger, cold and wet with something I assumed to be lube, slipped into my puckered hole. I gasped and tried to move away but the only way I could go was forward, what with my legs stretched apart, and I couldn’t go forward at all because of the edge of the tub there. I was stuck.

            So the finger was left to intrude all it wanted.

            In and out went the finger. Then a second was added. Then a third.

            Dear God, no…What was happening?

            I had to get away!

            I twisted, I squirmed, I pulled and shouted but nothing worked. All it did was make my arms ache more.

            The fingers were pulled out.

            My ass burned. Probably from the person’s fingers stretching me out.

            I heard more movement. Like something being tied to something else. Then my neck was forced down by something heavy. I was forced to scoot forward and up, bending over even more. I wasn’t sure what it the object in question, the thing the rope must have been tied to, could be but it held me in place. I worried about how far I was now bent over because yes, there was a bit of slack on my wrists now, but my neck had a damn rope around it and was being held down. Bending me over further.

            I could picture how this looked, in my head. Me with my ass reluctantly presented, legs spread, and bent over with lube filling my ass.

            A dull throb echoed in my ass.

            Next I felt someone reach around and grab my dick. I flinched and tried to get away but there was simply no way I could. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to move…

            Hands deftly rubbed me up and down in a pumping motion. Despite myself and my predicament, I found my dick responding to the gesture. It grew hard and round and the hands stroked all the more. Hands cool with lube.

            My cock pressed again the cool edge of the tub between my spread legs.

            The hand left suddenly and I was relieved as much as I was disappointed. At least I wasn’t being forced to go erect but my body missed the contact.

            Something warm and hard rubbed between my ass cheeks. I knew what it was instinctively. After all, both Rufus and John had used me for their own needs before. It was pretty much consensual then, though. Of course it was questionable with Rufus. I couldn’t seem to deny him but sometimes he pressured me into it.

            Either way, I knew what a hard cock felt like on my ass.

            And _in_ my ass.

            My ass was already burning a little. More so than a minute ago. And he hadn’t even entered me yet.

            The tip of the same cock touched against my hole, still wet with lube.

            I braced myself because I knew what was coming next.

            I was entered, hard and fast, with no preamble. It wasn’t gentle but rough and I was reminded this was _not_ consensual and I was helpless to stop it.

            All I could do was go with it.

            So I cried out into my gag and felt him enter me all the way. I could feel him deep in my bowels. My sphincter closed around him.

            He shifted and pulled all the way back out. I breathed a sigh of relief as he left my body but then gasped when I was entered again. The rhythm was slow but rough and I squirmed. I also cursed my body for enjoying this because my dick was even harder now. I ached for release! But I couldn’t reach to do so.

            And how could my body do this to me? I was bound and helpless! I was essentially being raped in my own bathroom and my body was enjoying it.

            It felt like a betrayal.

            A burning betrayal because that low throbbing sensation was growing. Burning. It started to hurt, on both my ass and my dick.

            In and out went the cock. Still slowly.

            Then suddenly fast and hard. His balls slapped against me he was fucking me so deep and quick.

            Hands gripped at my hips, ramming me backward as he slammed forward.

            Something touched my nose. I froze as much as I could with him shoving into me and my ass throbbing.

            What was that?

            The thing touched my nose again. It was warm. And…

            _Holy shit!_

            It was the water! It was climbing up the bathtub and I realized I was bent over so much my face was now practically touching it. I conjured up an image of my bathtub in my head and tried to guess at how far I was bent over. Well, I was at fucking height, at least. So I was bent over pretty far to have my ass presented like that over the edge of the tub.

            My face, I realized with a stab of fear and panic, would be submerged in the water.

            Starting with my nose.

            I began to really struggle but my efforts only made the cock slamming into me dig in deeper and before I knew it I was gasping with pleasure. My cock was burning, and my ass…well, it was burning and had been for a bit now, and his dick inside me wasn’t cutting it because he wasn’t hitting the right spot.

            The water covered my nose and just like that I was back in reality. Air bubbles flowed from my nose. It was all I had! My mouth had a fastened penis inside.

            I struggled to breathe through the gag. Only a tiny amount of air seeped through and I panicked.

            _Oh God, no, please don’t let me die like this!_

            I’d always heard drowning was one of the worst ways to go. People gasped for air only to have water enter them. I’d swallowed water before, when I was younger and at the public pool. It’d been showing off and having a contest with one of my ex-friends about how long we could stay under water. I’d stayed for too long and had involuntarily tried to breathe only to drink the water.

            I’d coughed so hard then! Of course, then I’d been able to resurface right away. It had just been stupidity on my part for staying under for so long.

            This was different.

            I couldn’t stop it.

            Deeper and harder came his movements as I struggled to pull my head up. I had to stop this! I couldn’t enjoy this, it wasn’t consensual! I didn’t know who this guy was!

            His hands on my hips guided me onto him and off each time as he pulled back and forward.

            “Mmph,” I moaned into my gag, biting down hard on the rubber penis in my mouth. That burning sensation…Oh, God, it felt great!

            What the hell was causing it?

            One of his hands released my hips and I felt him move up on me more. He was practically laying on my back like I was fuckable bed.

            I heard his hand dip into the water next to my head. The rope around my neck grew a little slack and I pulled up. My nose came out of the water. The water was still running. I worried about how high it’d be when I was forced to have my head down again. All the while he was ramming his shaft, his had-to-be-seven-inches-long shaft, into me.

            I breathed long and hard through my nose. I wasn’t sure how long the air would last so I had to make it count and calm my aching lungs and racing heart.

            My mind was beginning to go crazy with the burning sensation because he just wasn’t cutting it. He wasn’t hitting the right spot! I could feel it burning in a certain place and he just wasn’t hitting it…

            After ramming into me a good three times, the rope went taut again, jerking my head back down. His hand popped out of the water just as my entire face was submerged. All the way up to my cheekbones.

            I was going to die! I just knew it! Death by drowning in my own bathtub with someone’s cock up my ass and a burning sensation starting to cover me.

            It couldn’t end like this.

            I held my breath and prayed he would allow me to lift my head and breathe again.

            His hand still hadn’t returned to my hip and I found out why. 

            His free hand clasped around my cock and pulled, sliding his hand up and down and oh God, the erection was full on now and I was hard and pressed against the cold surface of the bathtub, I couldn’t breathe, I was going to die, no, no, no, not yet, please, I can’t, not like this, not-

            I didn’t realize his other hand had left my hips before the rope slacked at my neck. I pulled my head up like a rocket and sucked in rapid, jagged breaths. My nose wasn’t working as much as it needed to because I needed deep breaths and my nose just wasn’t cutting it. I needed my mouth!

            I tried to open my mouth as much as I could but that only hurt my jaw and cause the rubber penis to shove in all the more due to the fastened part of it, so tight around my face and head. Now the tip of it was touching against the back of my throat.

            Meanwhile he was still slamming into me and that burning…oh, it kept growing!

            His hand still hadn’t returned to my hip and I found out why.

            His free hand clasped around my cock and pulled, sliding his hand up and down and oh God, the erection was full on now and I was hard and pressed against the cold surface of the bathtub.

            Oh, God…it felt great. I couldn’t deny it. I wanted to not feel like this but that burning…I was hungry for more and I didn’t know why, couldn’t stop the feeling, couldn’t make it feel better because it was the _wrong_ spot, just not taking the edge of the burning off, and-

            The rope jerked my head down again. The water was deeper now. To my ears. I could hear my heart pounding a frantic rhythm.

            The water shut off.

            I held my breath.

            He shifted his pounding a little and suddenly he was hitting _that_ spot continually while still stroking me, pulling and prodding at my enlarged dick, and despite my judgment I moaned hungrily into the my gag like I was begging for more…and, I realized, I was, because as much as this felt great, it just wasn’t enough…but it was that spot.

            That spot. _That_ spot!

            He kept hitting it, jabbing in further and harder into that spot while jerking me off and all I could do was cry out into the gag and water.

            Without thinking, I shoved my ass back into him, causing him to hit that spot more roughly. Oh, that about did it. The sense of danger, helplessness, and the feel of him in me and on me had me near orgasm! It didn’t matter I was in danger because to my body, it still felt amazing despite what my mind said.

            My mind said it was bad, what was happening, because it was a stranger and they’d probably kill me in a minute but right now, I loved it. Rufus had turned me onto more riskier acts of fucking - I refused to call it ‘love-making’ - and a large part of me liked it.

            But this was different.

            This wasn’t Rufus.

            Or John.

            Even so…there was something about this that felt familiar. I wasn’t sure why.

            I burned! His hand on my cock just wasn’t cutting it. I needed more!

            _Why am I…feeling like this?_ I managed to think through the crazed haze in my mind.

            It was then it hit me.

            The lube. The lube. Dear God, the lube!

            It must have been that fancy kind Rufus was always trying to talk me into getting. That kind that pretty much left whoever it was used on hungry for more. I couldn’t think of the name at the moment because, hell, I couldn’t really think at all!

            The rope went loose and I breathed as I pulled my head up. Too soon my head was forced back down. Then up. Down. I realized it was slackening and tightening to his movements. He must have still been holding onto the rope as he continued to hit that precious spot.

            Pre-cum dripped down the side of the tub from my held-down erection.

            Now his movements turned slower. He held my head up and let me breathe.

            He didn’t drop it back down until he was at a fairly slow yet rough pace. As my head fell into the water, he gave two deep thrusts which obviously did it for him. The next few thrusts were the deepest and roughest I’d had yet.

            I wasn’t sure what it was. Either his hand on my dick, the way he was hitting that spot so deeply now, the burning from the lube, or the fact my ass was clenching around him, but as his orgasm began and he cried out, it set mine off as well and I exploded down the side of the tub and on his hand as I moaned and grunted into the gag.

            My orgasm over, my cock shrank and he slid out of me. I could still feel his load in me. He released my soft cock and then whatever was left of his cum he let run down my crack and smeared on my cheeks.

            Then he lifted my neck rope, slid it off, and let me breathe.

            A minute later, my wrists were dropped and I toppled forward. I was caught before I could hit the water and then moved over the edge of the tub.

            My legs still spread, I felt a mouth, hot with spit, nibble on my right butt cheek.

            I squirmed but was too tired to do much. My ankles hurt from the ropes, my arms ached from the held position, and I was sure there was a red mark on the back of my neck from that stupid rope that had been forcing me into the water.

            A warm chuckle caught my attention. It sounded vaguely familiar and I froze.

            “I told you it’s better when you’re surprised, caught off guard, and bound for greatness,” the person joked.

            I recognized the voice right away and growled.

            “I’m not taking it out. Not unless you’re going to tell me how fun it was because let’s not forget, I’m not the only one who got a load off today.”

            This was so damn embarrassing! Here I’d been fighting, sure I was a dead man, and it was fucking _him_ all along? He’d seen me squirm and be afraid but then had watched me _enjoy_ a part of it? How dare he!

            The ropes went slack on my ankles. Then the loops were slid off. I was almost free, save for my mouth, the blindfold, and my wrists.

            “You’re so fucking hot when you’re afraid and helpless, Terry! We should have done this ages ago!”

            I wanted to bite his head off!

            He turned me, sat me up against the side of the tub - I felt my own cum coat my back - and unfastened my gag. Slowly the penis came out and I worked my jaw a little before snarling, “Holy fuck, Rufus! How the hell could you do this?! I thought you were a damn killer or something!”

            “I know,” he said with mirth. “That’s part of the fun, the surprise. You should have expected this, Ter. I mean, c’mon! John even called and told you I was going to ‘surprise’ you.”

            “Yeah - surprise me like, ‘hey, I brought dinner’, or, ‘Terry, let’s get married!’ or ‘Terry, I’m somehow pregnant and it’s your fault.’ Not this!”

            “Oh, well, it was fun at any rate. Your ass is so fuck-worthy.”

            “Untie me.” I was so angry I felt my ears burning. My ass was still throbbing but thankfully it was starting to die down and I didn’t need his cock in my ass anymore to combat the burning.

            The blindfold was slid off my face. I glared at Rufus in all his nakedly handsome glory.

            He was an attractive man in that ‘school-boy’ kind of way. His hair was always neatly combed, he wore gray contacts, and generally looked innocent. He played innocent, but he certainly wasn’t! Especially not now. He usually wore more formally casual clothes…or casually formal? I didn’t know. He didn’t quite wear suits but he was often seen in a tie and silk button-down shirt with a stiff color.

            Now he was just naked.

            He turned me somewhat and undid my wrists. I brought them around and flexed them, glaring at him.

            “I told you it was fun when you’re surprised.”

            “I’m gonna kill you!” I shouted as I lunged forward and tackled him to my hard bathroom floor. How’d he like it! Of course my movements weren’t quite as graceful as I wanted. My body was still sore and tired and thus I moved slowly as I landed on him.

            He laughed and easily tossed me aside. “I didn’t really mean to scare you.”

            “Jerk!”

            “You know I’ve been talking about surprise sex, Terry.”

            “ _Surprise sex?_ ” I asked incredulously. “You practically raped me!”

            “On some level you must have known it was me,” Rufus replied smugly, “because you actually enjoyed it. You responded quite well. Tell me, Terry, do you plan on having an orgasm for all your ass-fucking kidnappers?”

            “You used that damn…that damn _lube_ on me!” I snapped. “Of course I responded, you jerk!”

            “And here you originally denied wanting to use it! Look how well you responded!” He was grinning.

            “Go to hell.”

            “Only if you’re going too.”

            “Die!”

            “Now, now.”

            “And what the fuck is surprise sex?” I huffed and sat up.

            “Just what it sounds like! I pop in, have sex with you, and you don’t learn about it ahead of time.”

            “You jerk! You could have killed me!” I glowered at him. I kept flashing back to when my head was in the water. “I could have drowned, you asshole!”

            “I would never do such a thing,” he said with a grin. “I did research. I had it covered. You were fine.”

            “Research? There’s research for surprise sex, are you kidding me?” I stared at him, dumbfounded.

            “Well…sure. There’s anything on Google! But I actually just gauged your breathing in our previous sessions.” He smiled widely. “I would never just put you into harm without doing my research! Have a little faith.”

            I shook my head and got to my feet. “I’m washing this off me and then, you are going to leave.”

            “Leave? But I just got here!”

            “Don’t care! You made me drop my Coke. And let’s not forget the water part, or the whole _surprise sex_ part.”

            I was pissed.

            “Awww, don’t be mad. You said you were willing to do riskier acts.”

            “Yeah - I meant like maybe, _maybe_ , being tied up for _your_ pleasure but not _this_! Water was never meant to be involved!”

            He shrugged. “You should be more specific next time. Now, as for _my_ pleasure, I enjoyed this a lot and I know you did too. You may say no, but your cock can’t lie.”

            I glared at him and grabbed a washrag before I dipped it into the water and started to wipe myself off. I felt sticky everywhere.

            I had to remind myself that I _liked_ Rufus…and his quirks.

            No matter how dastardly they could be! Or how harmful they could potentially be.

            I could have died. He said he had it under control, but how was he going to know when I ran out of air?

            Surprise sex.

            Who’d ever heard of such a thing?


	3. Opening Packages

Chapter Three: Opening Packages

 

 

 

After everything with Rufus I was more than a little paranoid at home alone. It had just been a game to him, and maybe if I had known what was going on, I would have enjoyed it, but as it was, he could have killed me. It didn’t matter how much research he’d done. What if I’d choked and had run out of air? He wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference in my movements since I’d been struggling anyway. If I had known what was going on, I wouldn’t have moved so much and then I could have let him know when I needed to breathe.

            I couldn’t believe he’d done this.

            Today was a new day, though. I’d sent Rufus home around five last night and had taken a hot shower, looking around for whatever he’d used to hold my neck down. I couldn’t find it. Maybe he’d brought it with him, I wasn’t sure. All I knew was I looked at my bathroom a lot differently now.

            I’d gone to bed early last night without supper. I’d been so exhausted I’d crashed at about seven.

            I woke early this morning around eight. I’d gotten _plenty_ of sleep. Now I was starving.

            Currently I was standing at my stove, fixing biscuits and gravy. The biscuits were in the over and I was adding my own little flare to the gravy I was stirring. I personally didn’t care for the sausage bits in my gravy so I never put them in it. Instead I used a few other ingredients to give it a better flavor.

            Soon enough, my food was done and I sat down at the kitchen table to devour my breakfast. All too soon, it was gone and I downed a large glass of milk. Afterward, I put my dishes in the sink and entered the living room.

            It was as I was turning the TV on I realized that, with all the ‘excitement’ of yesterday, I’d forgotten about the woods and that strange guy. Suddenly my interest was renewed and I jumped up to grab the phone.

            I dialed quickly and waited as it rang.

            “Hello?”

            “Tommy, hi!” I said cheerfully. “How have you been?” I hadn’t talked to my brother in so long. Almost four months. I felt bad.

            “Terry?” he asked. “I’m fine! How have you been, squirt?”

            I grimaced. “I’m not a squirt anymore, I’m as tall as you.”

            “Semantics.”

            I rolled my eyes. “How’s Lacy?”

            “She’s fine - and you’re going to be an uncle.”

            My mouth fell open. “What?” I gasped. “An uncle? She’s pregnant? Really?”

            Lacy was his wife. They’d been married two years now and I knew he’d been talking about starting a family…I just hadn’t thought it’d be so soon!

            I was going to be an uncle. Suddenly all I could picture were birthdays and cake and a little rascal to be my partner in crime. I snickered.

            “Don’t be getting ideas,” my older brother warned me.

            “Me? Never.”

            “Uh huh. How is, um…what’s his name? Evan?”

            I snorted. “Dude, me and him are _so_ over.”

            “What? Since when?”

            I paused and thought back. “Er…three months now?”

            “I thought you liked him?”

            “I did…I mean…yeah, I did. It just didn’t work out.” I shrugged. “Speaking of guys…I met this strange guy yesterday.”

            “Strange as in ‘hot’ or strange as in ‘he scares me’?”

            Ah, I loved my brother.

            I had long since been comfortable with my sexuality, having hopped out of the closet with a bang when I was sixteen. My date to my junior prom had been a guy named Travis. I didn’t go to my senior prom, though. And me and Travis had only lasted maybe two weeks at best. Mostly he’d just been curious, had wanted to fuck me, and had ditched me shortly after to go after some older chick. Meh. Whatever.

            “Strange as in ‘strange’,” I told him.

            “How so?”

            “I don’t…What do you know about the woods?”

            “Woods?”

            “Walker Street? Park? Ringing any bells? C’mon, I know you moved away but you grew up here!”

            He paused momentarily. “Why are you asking? I thought Mom told you not to go there.”

            I snorted. “Dude, c’mon, she said that when I was _twelve_. Of _course_ I went there!”

            He sighed. “I don’t know what to tell you. You know she didn’t want you going there for a reason.”

            That ‘reason’ had seemed simple when I was twelve. I hadn’t wanted to disappoint her and I really had no reason to go there, so I didn’t. But then she’d died of cancer a year later and I had decided to see what all the fuss was about. Plus I’d needed to get away. I loved my brother, but he was always busy and didn’t have time for me, when I was younger. My dad had been a single father working two jobs with little time for anything, or anyone, else. I cooked my own meals after Mom died.

            “Yeah, well, sue me,” I said with a shrug. “What do you know about it?”

            “Is this where you met this ‘strange’ person?”

            “Is that important?”

            “Terry, you know nut jobs go there.”

            “I’m aware but…I don’t think he was one. I mean I think he was crazy but not in a drug-induced, homeless way.”

            Judging by the fully clad, not-dirty body, I assumed he had some money. So that wasn’t it. Perhaps he was on drugs but for some reason, that didn’t seem right either. But what else could it be? He thought he had territory there! It was a public place…or at least it used to be.

            “I’d stay away from it and him if I were you.”

            “Noted. But what can you tell me?”

            “Not much,” Tommy admitted. “Just that people don’t go there anymore. There’s rumors of murders, disappearances, whatever. Nothing’s ever been proven. Just druggie talk.”

            “Mm,” I mumbled. “Can you maybe…lend me your laptop for a bit? Please? I want to look some stuff up.”

            “About the woods?” he asked warily.

            “No,” I said, because I knew he wouldn’t approve of me looking into a suspected murder hotspot. “No, I just want to look up a few things.”

            “If I find porn on it when I get it back…”

            “You won’t,” I said with a grin. “But while we’re on the subject…have you ever heard of ‘surprise’ sex?”

            “What?” He sounded confused. Good, I wasn’t the only one who had never heard of it.

            “Err…I mean it’s not rape because it’s someone you know but at the time you don’t know so you think it’s bad and you panic and there’s water but then it turns out to be someone you’re kinda with and-” I wasn’t sure how fast I was going, but I had to stop for breath.

            “What?” Now he sounded concerned. “Did you say rape? Were you raped?”

            “Me? Wha? No,” I said slowly. “Er…no. No. Surprised but not…look, can I have the computer?” I couldn’t believe I’d started talking about this to my brother.

            He was fine with my sexuality but he preferred not to be dragged into the conversations of my sex life.

            “I guess,” he said uncertainly. “Are you okay?”

            “I’m great! So will you bring it by? My car is kinda…not reliable…and…” I realized then it was still at John’s house. I’d have to walk over and get it later. Great.

            “Okay,” he sighed. “I’ll bring it Wednesday, is that okay?”

            I wanted it sooner, but… “Okay, thanks,” I said.

            “Alright. Is something bothering you?”

            “No. I’m fine. I’ll talk to you later, Tommy! Have fun with your pregnant, hormonal wife and tell her I said hi!” I hung up before he could say anything and sighed as I combed my fingers through my black hair.

            Why could nothing ever be simple?

            Almost as soon as I put the phone back on the cradle, it started ringing. I blinked at it for a moment before I sighed and answered it.

            “Hello?”

            “Yo,” came John’s voice. “How was last night with Rufus?”

            I grimaced. “Don’t even get me started.”

            “That bad?” he asked, shocked. “I thought you liked him.”

            “I do,” I said. “I just…what the hell is surprise sex?”

            “Surprise sex?” Now I could hear a grin in his voice. “He used it on you?”

            “Yeah! What the hell?”

            “It’s exciting. And new.”

            “New? He pretty much raped me!”

            He laughed. “You’re taking this way out of context.”

            “Out of context? He came up from behind me, blindfolded me, tied me up, stripped me of my clothes, and periodically kept my head submerged in water! I didn’t know it was him. I thought it was a lunatic! And he could have killed me!” Why could no one understand the point?

            “The whole point is to be surprised, even scared, Terry.”

            I sighed. “Yeah. Whatever. Somehow _I’m_ the weird one for not wanting to be raped, but okay. Whatever.” I took in a breath and released it slowly. “So what’d you call for? I have a feeling it’s not just to talk my sex life.”

            “Oh, on the contrary,” he said with a chuckle.

            “What?”

            “A couple guys are coming over later. I figured since you need to get your car anyway, you could stop by and join in on the fun.”

            “Fun? John…” I knew what he was asking. “I think my ass has been used enough for right now.”

            “Dude, c’mon. It’s gonna be fun! We’re all gonna get wasted.”

            “John…”

            “You know you’re a good bottom.”

            I snorted. That was all I ever was - a bottom. Personally I didn’t mind, because it felt great, but…Sometimes I wondered what it’d be like to top.

            “Rufus won’t be there.”

            “Why do you think that will sway me?”

            “Because you seem pissed at him,” John snickered. “Now’s your chance to get with someone else, get back at him.”

            “I don’t want to get back at him. I just want to stay home.”

            “Don’t be such a downer.”

            I sighed.

            “Look, you know this thing with you and Rufus isn’t fucking _exclusive_ , right? Since you’ve been with him, you haven’t been with anyone else! Meanwhile Rufus is getting it on every chance he gets. Don’t you think you deserve the same?”

            I knew Rufus was with other people. We weren’t dating. We just hooked up a few times when we felt like it. I liked him and he liked me but there was no way he was the ‘one’. I didn’t believe in that nonsense. Thus we fucked, split ways, went with others, and joined back up whenever the urge arrived.

            Except I hadn’t exactly been with anyone else since he and I started hooking up. Mostly it was because he came over sporadically and I thought it’d be very awkward if he popped in when I was with someone else.

            Call me crazy, but I’m a one-man kind of guy.

            Despite what it seemed like.

            “I don’t know…”

            “We won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do. Hell, you might even be able to top someone! C’mon, it’ll be fun.”

            I sighed. “Fine…I’ll go. But someone has to come pick me up ‘cause I’m not walking.”

            “Great!” A grin in his voice. “Isaac will be there soon. Oh…and he’s going to have a gift for you. Put it on before you come!” He hung up before I could ask what he was talking about.

            I sighed and put the phone back on the cradle.

            What had I just gotten myself into?

 

 

A knock at my door announced the arrival of Isaac. I opened the door and was handed a shoe box. I frowned at him in confusion as he pushed past me into my living room. “Put it on,” he said with a shrug. “That’s what John told me to tell you.”

            I sighed and shook my head. “I’ll be right back,” I murmured before I stole away to my bedroom. I wasn’t sure what was in the box but I had a sneaking suspicion.

            I tore open the box and frowned at the separate packages that awaited me. I opened the one on top.

            Padded handcuffs? With little loops on the sides?

            _Are you kidding me? Really?_

            I dropped them with a scowl and pulled up the next package to unwrap.

            It contained odd looking underwear with no back. I dropped them next to the handcuffs and pulled out the last package.

            From the package I pulled out a blindfold. Beneath it, in the package, was a folded piece of paper. On the top it said not to look at it but carry it. I sighed and didn’t open it despite my curiosity.

            Obviously this was a game to them. I’d already agreed to go so I might as well enjoy it and do as I was told.

            I pulled my pants and boxers off before I pulled on the odd underwear. There was no back so my ass hung out, exposed. Somehow I already knew where this was going. I pulled my pants back on and looked at the handcuffs. How was I supposed to put them on? There were no instructions. I guessed front would do for now.

            I couldn’t believe I was doing this.

            I didn’t even know where the key was to open them. I guessed John had it.

            Maybe it was a little insurance. I had to go to him if I put these on. Otherwise I couldn’t get free.

            I heard a knock at my bedroom door just as I clamped the first handcuff around my right wrist. I turned to see Isaac push the door open.

            “Are you about ready?” he asked before looking at the handcuffs. He smiled slowly. He was cute in that ‘football star’ kind of way, with broad shoulders and muscles. His gray eyes scanned over me. “Need help with those?”

            “Not really. No.”

            I left the handcuffs there to dangle on my right wrist as I grabbed the blindfold. I took a breath.

            “You’re gonna have to help me into the car,” I murmured before I wrapped it around my head, covering my eyes, and tied it off.

            I then snapped the other handcuff closed around my left wrist, leaving me trapped. The only way I could get them off was if I went to John.

            A hand touched my shoulder. “Ready?” Isaac asked.

            I nodded and released a slow breath. “Sure…let’s do this.”

            He pulled me out of the room, guiding me down the hallway and out of my apartment. I nearly tripped climbing into his car. He shoved me and I toppled sideways. It was then I realized I was in the backseat.

            “Lie down,” he said. “Or you’ll be seen and it will be very awkward trying to explain.”

            I nodded and stayed down as he started the car. Soon we were driving off.

            I wasn’t sure what to expect at John’s.

            But I was pretty sure my ass was involved.


	4. Party at John's

Chapter Four: Party at John’s

 

 

John had his own house. It was obnoxiously huge, too. He’d inherited it from his late uncle who had died three years ago from cancer, like my mom. There were four bedrooms and two baths, along with a large living room, a dining room, and an impressive kitchen. It was like a mansion to me. I could almost picture how my rusted old car looked parked in front of it. Pathetic!

            I was led out of the car by Isaac’s hand on my shoulder. Up the front walk we went and soon I was guided up the two steps to stand on John’s front porch. Isaac pushed the door open and led me forward, into the house. In no time, I felt lips press against my own in a hot, dominating kiss. I wasn’t ashamed to say I kissed back.

            Next I heard a warm chuckle from the person as they pulled away. I recognized the voice. “You look hot,” John appraised.

            “Thanks,” I murmured. “Why did you get me handcuffs? And what’s with this stupid note?” I pulled the paper from my jacket pocket.

            He smirked. “Save that for now, we’ll get to it shortly. Now, as hot as you look, I can’t help but feel like _these_ -” He tugged at my shirt. “-are getting in the way.”

            “You know, contrary to popular belief, it’s customary to wear clothes when one goes out,” I felt like telling him.

            “Semantics.”

            “You gonna un-cuff me?”

            “Nope. C’mon! Meet the others.” He grabbed my arm and led me forward. A minute later I was stopped and the blindfold was tugged away from my face.

            A group of guys sat before me in John’s living room. Isaac walked over to join them. All faces were watching me. I raised a hand and waved as much as I could with the handcuffs. A few smiled back.

            John threw an arm over my shoulders and tugged me close to him. “Everyone, this is Terry. Terry, this is everyone.”

            “Er…hi,” I said somewhat unsurely. Everyone was looking at me, watching me…I didn’t know what to do. I hated being center of attention. John knew this, so why was he making it happen?

            And why the handcuffs?

            Okay, so I knew what handcuffs were for. I knew where this was probably going. But that didn’t mean I had to be center of attention.

            A few people nodded back at me and my quiet ‘hi’. The others just smiled. I didn’t recognize anyone except Riley, who sitting on the right side of the couch - well, my right, anyway - squeezed between the arm and another person. Four people sat on John’s large couch. Another sat in the matching recliner next to it, and another still had occupied the loveseat on the other side of the couch.

            Six people besides me, John, and Isaac.

            And they were watching me.

            I jiggled my wrists at John, hinting how he should un-cuff me.

            He just shook his head and smiled.

            “Well, gentlemen,” he said as he looked at everyone, “let the mingling and fun begin!”

            Did he seriously expect me to wander around in handcuffs? And talk to people like that?

            I was going to smack him as soon as I got out of these!

            As for now, a few people stood from the couch. The guy in the recliner and the guy in the loveseat joined the others from the couch and ambled away. A few stopped along a wall, talking. Others went to John’s electric fireplace. Some went into the kitchen.

            One guy came up to me as John left my side to converse with Riley.

            “Hey,” the guy said with a faint smile. “I’m Wes.”

            I smirked. “Nice to meet you, Wes. I’d shake your hand but John’s decided to make these cuffs an accessory to my body.”

            Wes smirked, his gray eyes sparkling. He was cute in that ‘grew-too-much’ kind of way. He was about three or so inches taller than me and I stood at about 5’8”…on a good day, anyway. He was thin and limber, and his eyelashes were sure to be illegally long. Brown hair edged into his eyes as he shook his head.

            “Any idea why he made you wear them?” he asked.

            I scowled. “Oh, I have a pretty good idea,” I said, shaking my own head.

            “Oh?”

            “Yup.” I wasn’t amused. “So, where are you from?” I asked, deciding to change the subject. “I haven’t seen you around before. You’re new, right?”

            “Kinda,” he said, nodding. “I stayed out of state but I recently moved out of my apartment and I’m looking for a place around here. Right now I’m staying with my brother, Isaac.”

            I paused. “Isaac’s your brother? Really? I mean-”

            “I know what you’re thinking, I look nothing like him. He got the body while I…well, I’m just me.” He shrugged in a ‘what-can-you-do’ kind of way. “Lanky me.”

            “There’s nothing wrong with that,” I said, smiling. “I was going to say you’re kinda hot.”

            “Oh…well, then I’m sorry for interrupting you.” He grinned. “Most people go for my brother.”

            I shrugged. “Not my type.”

            And really, he wasn’t. He was good looking in his own way, but he just wasn’t for me.

            He peered at me through his lashes. “And am I your type?” he asked somewhat shyly.

            I smirked and leaned forward a little. I felt his breaths speed up as they ran hotly into my face. Slowly, I allowed my lips to brush against his. He didn’t stop me so I took that as a sign to keep going. I added pressure and soon we were in a heated kiss. He seemed as into it as I was because he leaned forward and grabbed at my shirt, pulling me toward him.

            A moment later we pulled apart and I smiled at him. “Does that answer your question?”

            He grinned and brought his hands to rest around my waist. He drew me close so that our bodies were touching. Usually I declined these kind of intimate positions but at the moment, I kind of liked it.

            I hadn’t wanted to come to this gathering, but I was here so I might as well enjoy it. There was nothing I could do about it now. I didn’t even have my keys with me.

            Isaac had taken them from my pants before he’d led me out of the car. Something about a final order of John’s. I wouldn’t be leaving until John gave me the keys.

            But it wasn’t like I could leave anyway - not with my hands cuffed like this.

            John had the key to them, too.

            Sneaky bastard.

            He leaned his face in close and whispered, “Would you like to have some fun?” As he said this, his thumbs slipped through my belt loops and brought me closer.

            I knew what he was asking.

            But I hesitated.

            It was why I’d come here, right? I’d come here to be with the guys, literally. I didn’t like to think of myself being with a lot of people, but it was generally how it turned out. I just couldn’t seem to say no. Somehow I was always convinced to go through with it. I enjoyed it, of course I did, it was just I was starting to wonder if this was all it was ever going to be.

            Guys, fucking me, then moving onto the next while I was used in bed again…

            I liked it. I did. It was just…was this what I wanted out of life?

            I didn’t believe in love or ‘the one’, but I wondered if, maybe…someday…I might actually find someone to stand by me. We didn’t have to love each other. We didn’t even have to _like_ each other. I just wanted someone there.

            Now Wes looked hesitant. “If…you want to, that is,” he said hastily, releasing my pants.

            I sighed. Wes was nice enough. I could go ahead and do this. He was my type, he was new, and he wanted me.

            Plus I’d known what was coming the moment I’d put on that odd looking underwear.

            So I smiled widely and nodded. “It’s fine with me,” I said. I grabbed his hand and led him out of the kitchen. We walked down a hallway and I pushed a door open. I knew John’s house about as well as my apartment.

            We entered one of his spare bedrooms.

            “Have you done this before?” I asked because he seemed nervous.

            He nodded slowly. “Twice,” he said. “You?”

            I laughed. “There’s no way I can say how many times. Let’s just say a lot.”

            “Oh.”

            “But hey…that’s what I’m here for, right?” I shrugged and gestured toward the bed. “Shall we?”

            “Of course.”

            I paused. “How do you want me?”

            I normally didn’t ask because, typically, I was just the bottom and wasn’t supposed to have a say. The guy I was with usually just ordered me a certain way, or moved me himself.

            Except, Wes seemed a bit new at this. And a little unsure.

            Even though he’d done it twice.

            Maybe he was just new at being a top.

            Hmm…

            Wonder what that felt like.

            “It’s so hot when you say that,” he said, grinning. His face looked boyish now and I wondered how old he was. Now he got a look in his eyes and hesitated.

            “What?” I asked, frowning. Had I done something wrong? Was he changing his mind? Did he not want me now?

            I wasn’t sure what to think of that thought. I had conflicted emotions. On one hand, I almost hoped he was backing out because my ass had just been abused yester, not only by Rufus but also by the lube. I could easily not have sex again for a while.

            But then I almost felt disappointed because Wes seemed like a nice enough guy, and I had agreed to come here anyway, so I might as well play my part as bottom, right? And, not to mention, the thought of him not wanting me just damaged my twisted self-esteem.

            Finally, he shook his head and smiled. “Nothing,” he said. “Just thinking. I’d better go get the key before we start, yeah?”

            I nodded enthusiastically.

            Yes! Let me out of these!

            Wes, my hero.

            I grinned at him. “Great idea. Go steal them from John.”

            He smirked. “Don’t go anywhere,” he said coyly before he turned and left the room. I sat down on the bed and sighed, scrubbing a hand over my face.

            I knew, on some level, what was going to happen next. At least this time, though, I wouldn’t be tied up, surprised and scared, with my face submerged in water. Maybe this time I could knowingly enjoy it.

            John appeared in the doorway a moment later, to my surprise. Wes was nowhere in sight. I frowned at my friend as he strolled into the room, eying me.

            “I just got a phone call,” he said slowly.

            “Okay…and?”

            Since when did he talk about his phone calls?

            “I have a question and I want you to answer it truthfully.”

            I swallowed. I didn’t know where this was going but his tone was serious and John, for one, was _rarely_ serious.

            “Okay…” I said quietly, unsure of what he was going to say.

            He took in a breath and stopped in front of me, peering down at me.

            John was about my height when were both standing next to each other. However, as I was still sitting on the bed, he loomed over me like a giant.

            I felt two inches tall. What was he going to ask?

            “Alright,” he breathed. “On Sunday, you asked about the woods on Walker Street. Right?”

            “Yeah…so?”

            “Why were you asking?”

            The question was so simple but it didn’t have a simple answer.

            I couldn’t tell him the truth, how some crazy guy had attacked me, knocked me down, and threatened to kill me. I also couldn’t just tell him I was asking about it on a whim.

            So I picked somewhere in the middle.

            “When I walked home Saturday night,” I started, “I cut through the woods ‘cause I was getting cold with my measly jacket.” I shrugged like it was no big deal.

            It wasn’t a big deal, except for the fact I had almost been killed for ‘trespassing’ when it was a public place to start with…

            He narrowed his eyes at me. “Why’d you cut through there?”

            “Because it’s shorter.”

            Duh.

            “Look…I was a little drunk, didn’t want to drive just in case I was more trashed than I thought I was, and it was getting cold outside. It’s a forty minute walk to my place from yours if I go out of my way to go around that part of the woods. Twenty minutes if I just cut through. So, yeah.” I sighed. “I went through the woods.”

            “You know about the rumors, Terry.”

            “Of course I do. But it didn’t seem like a big deal.”

            “Didn’t?”

            “Yeah…I mean, it still doesn’t seem like a big deal. Anyway, why are you asking?” I wanted to change the subject.

            What had made him bring it up in the first place?

            He shrugged. “Your brother call me a few minutes ago.”

            I stared at him for a moment. Then:

            “Oh.”

            My brother, probably tattling on me to my friend. Inquiring about my well-being. About the woods.

            Tommy meant well, but I was a grown man now. I could take care of myself. I was twenty-four!

            “What’d he say?” I asked.

            John snorted. “You asked him about the woods too. And now you’re going to be borrowing your laptop?” He glowered at me. “You’re looking up shit on the woods, aren’t you?”

            John knew me well. But, we’d been friends since I was eighteen. He should know me after six years of friendship.

            I didn’t want to lie to him.

            I just didn’t want him to go blabbing to my brother.

            “Don’t tell Tommy,” I said.

            “Damn it, Terry! Why are you so damn curious about the woods? Huh?”

            I shrugged. “Dunno…just…why does no one ever go there? And these rumors? When’d they start? Why? What’s up with that place? Aren’t you curious, too?” I asked him.

            John sighed and shook his head slowly. “Alright…fine. Dug up crap on the woods. Just, fuck, Terry, be careful.”

            I was touched he cared.

            “I will.”

            He snorted. “You won’t, but whatever.”

            “John…it’s not a big deal. Okay? It’s just a lump of trees! I’m just curious is all.”

            “Curious is fine,” he told me. “But if you go into the woods again…then, no, that’s not fine.”

            “I won’t,” I said.

            But I couldn’t promise. It depended on what I found out.

            Plus I was still curious about that guy who had tackled me. I wanted to know what he was, where’d he gone, where he’d come from…what he meant by ‘others’…everything.

            John nodded. “Okay.”

            A short silence followed his word. I cleared my throat.

            “So…where’s Wes?”

            He still hadn’t returned to the room.

            “I told him to let me talk to you.” He shrugged. “He’s waiting to have some fun.”

            “Mm, yeah,” I agreed.

            Now John reached a hand out and lifted my chin a little higher. I frowned slightly but then caught on when he leaned his head down. Our lips met in a bruising kiss, my lips smashing against my teeth. I squirmed back, scowling at John.

            He smirked. “That’s so you remember to be careful.”

            “Jerk,” I said somewhat fondly.

            He was a good friend.

            He shrugged. “Now, don’t have _too_ much fun. We both know I’m your favorite, right?” He grinned.

            I rolled my eyes. “Yes, of _course_ , John, I bow down to your awesome sex skills.”

            He chuckled and then turned to leave the room.

            “Hey!” I called after him. “What about the key?”

            He laughed and exited, leaving me there, still handcuffed.


	5. When They Come Knocking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The maniac from the woods returns... with a few surprises.

Chapter Five: When They Come Knocking

 

As suspected, after John’s little rant to ‘be careful’, my ass was abused by two guys. Wes was the first one. And, as expected, after we’d done the deed, he’d ditched me to move onto the next. He was nice, sure, but he was just like all the others. Two hours later, Riley had approached me and we’d fucked. Then he’d left, too. He left the house, his partying done with.

            John hadn’t given me the key to the handcuffs until the end of the night. Then he’d promptly told me to pull out the folded note, which I had. He’d smirked at me and unfolded it, declaring that I was to be his sex slave next week, for three days. From Wednesday to Friday. Well, Friday night. I’d protested, of course, but it was there in ink, on the note. It had stated:

 

_I, Terry, solemnly swear to be John’s sex beast next Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I will leave my signature by carrying this note with me through the whole party._

 

That sneaky bastard! He’d been the one to make me carry it the whole time, had made me take it in the first place. He was very sneaky indeed.

            Well, it was still a week away, so I had a little time.

            Currently, I was driving home from the party. I’d hadn’t consumed any alcohol so I was good to drive, finally. I felt thoroughly exhausted from the night’s events and I just wanted to go home and sleep.

            It was nearly midnight, again. The streets were pretty bare so there was little traffic. I made it home in record time.

            I keyed the lock on my apartment and pushed the door open. I just wanted to crawl into my bed, wrap myself in covers, and sleep. Sleep for about a week. Just lay in my bed and not move. Yes, that sounded nice.

            My apartment was dark and cold. Sighing, I flipped on the lights in the living room and moved toward the thermostat. A minute later the heat came on and I tossed off my jacket to put it on the arm of the couch. Then I entered the kitchen.

            Before I could so much as raise my arm to flip on the lights, my arms were snagged and wrenched painfully behind my back. I opened my mouth to at least yelp, or shout, but my arms were twisted, causing me to swallow my words in a weak whimper. Ow! That hurt!

            “Shout and you’re dead,” a cold voice hissed. It sounded vaguely familiar and caused a chill to crawl down my spine.

            “Who are you?” I asked. “Why are you doing this? Let go!” I twisted and squirmed but he just slammed me sideways into the wall. My shoulder knocked against hard wood, causing me to wince.

            “Be quiet,” he hissed, “or I will _make_ you.”

            I wasn’t sure how he’d _make_ me but it didn’t sound good, so I snapped my mouth shut.

            What can I say?

            I was a guy who wanted to live, and I’d do or say anything to make it happen. Or in this case, _not_ say anything.

            “Where’s your room?” the guy questioned, his tone low and filled with a mild hesitance, the first I’d heard from him so far. I still couldn’t quite place his voice but it was bringing up a crazy memory.

            “I…why?”

            It couldn’t be good. That was all I knew.

            He just snorted. “Where is it?” he asked again. His tone brooked no argument.

            “That way,” I murmured, gesturing.

            Without a word, he tugged me out of the kitchen and pushed me down the hallway, all the while holding my hands firmly behind my back in a way which was rather painful. He pushed me into my door before he twisted the knob and quickly replaced his grip on my wrists before I could even think about twisting away. I was shoved into my room and I tripped over my own feet, tumbling headfirst into my bed. I lay on the bed for a moment before I got to my feet and spun, startled.

            “Who…” My question died in my throat as I stared at him. The eyes.

            I knew those eyes.

            “You,” I hissed, narrowing my eyes at him.

            They were the same dark blue eyes.

            The _same_. From the woods.

            The crazy guy who had attacked me. Somehow he’d found me and he was here. In my room. In my apartment.

            “What are you…Why are you here?” I asked, frowning as I backed up a step. He had a dark look in his eyes and he was glaring at me from beneath his hood. I hadn’t been able to see him too well the last time, as it had been dark and I’d been a little worried about being _tackled_ , but now I realized he must have had the hood on then, too. “What do you want?” I didn’t like his silence.

            Or the way he was looking at me.

            He stepped forward. I stepped back until the back of my legs knocked against the bed. He glared at me and sighed in frustration. “I’m not here to kill you,” he said, “so don’t _make_ me.”

            “Why are you here? You’re that nut job from the woods!”

            “Perceptive, aren’t you?” he drawled, rolling his eyes. “I have a very serious question, and if you lie to me, I’ll know. And I’ll kill you. Nod if you understand.”

            I nodded tightly.

            “Good.” He pulled off his hood. “What color is my hair?”

            _What the hell kind of question…?_

            “What?” I asked stupidly.

            “Answer the question.”

            I frowned. “Bright blue…why?”

            He really did have bright blue hair. It looked so odd! Of course, these days, people dyed their hair whatever color they wanted, so it wasn’t too unusually I guessed, but I hadn’t quite seen it in person before. I kept staring at it.

            The strands had a wild flow to them and seemed to dive from one side to the other in a wavy motion. His hair went down to about his ears, his bangs dangling in front of his eyes now that the hood had been thrown off.

            He scowled. “Damn it,” he hissed.

            “What?” I asked. Had I done something wrong?

            He was the one who’d asked the question! Was I supposed to lie? Did he really want to kill me?

            “You’re not supposed to see that.”

            “See what? You asked me what color your hair was! It’s blue!”

            He sent me a sharp look. “And in the woods. What did you see?”

            “See?” So confused.

            Was he going to kill me or not?

            I didn’t want to die but a part of me wished he’d stop these games and just get it over with. I could only hope it’d be quick.

            “What did you _see?_ ” he hissed, taking a step forward, his expression contorted in frustration.

            And rage, I was sure.

            I swallowed. “Er…I saw…um…” I wasn’t sure what I saw. “What do you mean?”

            “You know damn well what I mean! What did you _see_ in the woods, when we ran into each other.”

            “…You mean when you tackled me?” I asked just to clarify.

            Pursed lips was my response.

            I sighed. “Okay, um…I saw…” I frowned. “I don’t know what I saw.”

            “Liar.” A snarl in his voice. Inhuman. I snapped my gaze toward his face and frowned.

            “That,” I whispered, gesturing at him. “I saw _that_.”

            His teeth were super sharp, his eyes far too feral and wild for anything _human_ , and his face had gone darker than before. His ears had somehow disappeared beneath his hair and his hair had grown somewhat darker and longer.

            Immediately he sighed and everything was back to normal. I flinched, uncertain.

            “I thought so,” he murmured with a downcast glance.

            “What…are you?” I managed to ask, as it had been bothering me for a while now, and since he was here and was probably going to kill me anyway… “Huh? What are you? What’s up with that woods? And you keep calling me human. You’re obviously not human, so what are you? Huh?”

            “Shut up,” he snapped, glaring at me, “and let me think.”

            “Think? Think about _what_?”

            It happened so fast I couldn’t even blink. One minute I was standing next to my bed. The next I was on the ground with an excellent view of the ceiling. I struggled to draw air into my lungs as I stared up at him.

            “If you’re not _quiet_ , I won’t be able to do what’s _necessary_ ,” he hissed dangerously, his eyes dark slits beneath his bangs.

            “What do you mean?” I asked once I’d caught my breath.

            He scowled down at me with obvious distaste, like I was a rotting piece of meat with maggots all over me. His disgust showed in the curl of his lips. “I’m not happy about this,” he spat.

            “…O-kay?”

            “Get to your feet.”

            “What?”

            “Do you not understand English? I thought you humans in America did.” He glared. “Get. Up.”

            I jumped to my feet, still frowning at him. “What do you want?” I asked. “I can give you money-”

            “Money, money, money - what is it with you humans and _money_? You’re all greedy bastards, that’s what you are.” He shook his head. Suddenly he stilled and stared straight at me…although I had a sneaking suspicion he wasn’t really seeing me.

            “What?” I whispered. I didn’t want to make him mad but I wanted to know.

            I could also feel a peculiar chill crawl down my spine for reasons I couldn’t place.

            His gaze snapped into focus and he growled, “Stay quiet if you want to live.”

            I snapped my mouth shut.

            I wanted to live. Oh yes, I did.

            Life may have sucked at times but it was the only one I had. It was _my_ life.

            I heard a thud. Then another one, much louder, like my apartment door giving way to crash on the ground. I flinched and spun to face the bedroom door. At least, I tried to, but before I could so much as twist my feet, the back of my shirt was grabbed and I was yanked toward my bedroom window. The guy promptly threw me out of it.

            He just lifted me and threw me like I was nothing. I smacked into the glass with a surprised yelp as shards of it pricked at my skin. Blood dribbled down my arms as I sat up on my knees, now in my side yard.

            The guy snagged my arm and yanked me to my feet. He drug me away from my apartment, down the sidewalk, and into a neighbor’s yard. We didn’t stop there, though. He kept dragging me and then shoved me into a ditch.

            “Stay down,” he hissed, and I didn’t bother arguing with him. I hunkered down in the cold dirt and watched as he darted off.

            It was a rather deep ditch on the side of the road. It also reeked of sewage and muddy water from the drainpipe to my left.

            Great. I was never going to be able to get this smell out!

            But that was probably the least of my problems. I still had no idea what was going on, or why.

            A few minutes later, the guy returned. I debated about running but really, what was the point? I was cold, soggy, and without a jacket. Plus he was standing at the head of the ditch. He could easily catch me. With the way he’d thrown me out the window, I was sure he’d catch me.

            And he probably wouldn’t even break a sweat.

            I climbed out of the ditch, my knees moist and my clothes reeking of _blech_.

            He grabbed my arm. Spun me around. Shoved me.

            I walked.

            “Where are we going?” I asked. Was he taking me somewhere to kill me?

            Why did he keep telling me to do things unless I wanted to die…

            Why would he say that if he was going to kill me anyway?

            He was so confusing.

            “I hate you,” he said.

            “Erm…what?”

            “Just so we’re clear. I’m not doing this for _you_. I’m doing this ‘cause I _have_ to.”

            “What’s that mean?” He wasn’t making any sense.

            He didn’t reply, just pushed me forward again.

            “Where are we going?” I asked again.

            “Do you ever shut up? A few more blocks ahead. Happy?”

            “Ecstatic,” I mumbled.

            Was he going to kill me a few more blocks ahead? Was he taking me to a secluded location to finish me?

            We continued walking. I kept quiet and let my thoughts consume me. I didn’t even realize we’d reached our destination, or where we were, until I was grabbed by the back of my shirt and forced to stop. I looked back at him with a frown.

            “Turn,” he said calmly.

            It was then I looked around at where we were.

            “The woods?” I asked suspiciously. “Why here?”

            “Do you want to live or not?” he huffed before leading me past the old park equipment toward the nearly-grassed-over path. I followed after him, not knowing what else to do.

            Plus I didn’t want to die. I just hoped I was making the right decision.

            He took off his hooded jacket and tossed it at my face. I caught it before the zipper could smack against my right eye. “Put that on.”

            I didn’t question him, just did as he asked. It was pretty long on me but yet left me feeling sort of…cozy? It was weird, but even though I was still partially wet from the ditch, freaked out due to tonight’s events, and pretty sure I was going to die soon, my mind felt calmed and my body warmed. It was like my body decided to calm down, chill out, and ease into a state of being balanced. I’d never felt like this before, and all due to a stupid piece of clothing.

            “Hood up,” he said with annoyance.

            I put the hood up, felt it close around my head.

            He nodded once, combed a hand through his blue hair, and then sighed. “Don’t talk. No questions. Nothing until I say so. Got it?”

            I nodded once.

            “Alright. Follow me.”

            He took off into the trees. I sighed and followed after him. I felt this whirling sensation surround me, felt kind of dizzy, but after a second I felt fine. Maybe it was just due to tonight’s events. Yeah, that was it.

            He stopped suddenly. I nearly ran into him but managed to stop as well and glance around.

            I opened my mouth to ask where we were but then remembered his words and snapped it shut again.

            But where the hell were we?

            This wasn’t the woods. At least, not the one I knew, the one I remembered walking through.

            This was all wrong!

            We were in a clearing, surrounded by trees. Except these weren’t normal trees. Not like the ones I’d ever seen. No, these were freakishly tall with limbs bending in directions like an acrobat with a thick base. A gloomy, gray fog surrounded us, darkening the scenery. I could barely see the edge of the clearing. At least, not far past it. All I saw, though, were trees.

            The guy started moving. Since I didn’t know where I was, I followed after him. I was thankful for the jacket at any rate, even if it was a little big on me and the hood was blocking some of my vision. I could feel a chilly wind curl around me and sink its icy fangs into my spine. The jacket was pretty warm, though. Much better than my lame-ass thin jacket.

            The guy made his way through the trees with a practiced ease. He pushed aside branches, stepped over surfaced tree limbs without so much as looking down, and seemed to be able to see through the fog. It was weird, watching him, but as least if I followed exactly in his footsteps, I would know it was safe. With this fog and freakishly tall and wide trees, I didn’t know what to think about anything. It wasn’t natural, that was all I knew. Not unless trees were suddenly the height of a six-level hotel. Maybe even higher.

            He turned left abruptly and I nearly staggered trying to keep in his footsteps. If I squinted I could see them in the darkness as they pressed into the squishy earth.

            A few minutes later, we came to another clearing. The guy stopped and looked around before he nodded to himself.

            “We’ll stay here for the time being. Keep going tomorrow night.”

            “What? Night?”

            He slid his gaze toward me. “Did I say you could talk, human?”

            My irritation flared. “I have a name, you know! It’s Terry!”

            “Alright. Did I say you could talk, _Terry_?” His lips twisted into a sneer.

            I scowled at him. “You break into my apartment, _throw_ me out a damn _window_ , toss me into a ditch, and then drag me here? I think I’ve earned the right to talk, you dick!”

            Now he chuckled. I stared at him because it was the first natural sound I’d heard from him. And yet it sounded so foreign coming from his mouth. In that voice. From him. The guy who had thus far been seriously rude and cold toward me.

            “I was wondering when you’d grow a damn backbone,” he said, shaking his head. “Kudos.”

            “Whatever! Where the hell are we? And who, for that matter, are _you_?”

            It had been bothering me for a long time.

            He rolled his eyes. “Go grab some damn wood to make a fire. Be useful.” Then he paused. “If you run off, you’re on your own, human. And trust me, you won’t last three minutes here alone.” He smirked in that cold ‘you-amuse-me-in-the-sense-you-are-weak-and-stupid’ sort of way.

            I sighed and turned to do as he said. I didn’t go far because I didn’t want to get turned around and wind up not being able to go back to the clearing. I was never very good at directions, not unless I knew the area well enough there was no way I _could_ get lost.

            I snagged a few fallen twigs - they were huge! Didn’t these trees have smaller ones? Of course not.

            Trudging back, I entered the clearing again a few minutes later. The guy was currently making his own pile, but with things I didn’t recognize. I mean, I did, but it wasn’t something I was used to seeing in a pile to become fire. Plus I hadn’t known he’d had it on him.

            Grass he tossed in, some kind of plastic-looking thing, and something else I didn’t recognize. Then he turned back toward me and yanked the twigs out of my hands. Upon dropped them onto his pile, he promptly took two of them and started rubbing them together. A minute later there was a spark and the pile lit up.

            Except it wasn’t fire.

            Right?

            At least, not any I was used to seeing. When I saw a fire, the flames were red, orange, and yellow, all mixed together.

            Not this one.

            It was varying shades of green, from bright to dark and all in between. I stared at it.

            “Sit,” he said.

            I sat where I was standing, which was a few feet away from him and even further from the green fire.

            He snorted and shook his head. “Freeze then,” he said before he scooted closer to the fire.

            I sighed and went closer, inching forward on my ass. I stopped just behind him and off to the left a little. “Where are we?” I asked, hoping he’d finally answer me.

            He shrugged. “I take it you’ve never heard of Ethereal.”

            “Ethereal?”

            “But then you humans always were oblivious to anything that doesn’t concern you. You’re all selfish that way.”

            “Hey! You don’t even know me, you jerk!” I snapped, glaring at him. “What the hell is Ethereal?”

            “I think you mean where,” he corrected while watching the flames. “It used to be part of Earth but, centuries ago, severed itself.”

            “Severed itself?” So confused.

            “Yup. Just cleaved itself off. Became its own place. I believe you people used to call it Atlantis.”

            I stared at him. “Are you shitting me? You’re telling me this is supposed to be the lost city of Atlantis?”


	6. Ethereal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet Kieron. He's not happy to know you.

Chapter Six: Ethereal

 

Of course he was crazy. He had to be. There was no such thing. It was jut a damn myth.  
He shrugged. “We prefer the name Ethereal. But essentially, yes. I supposed you could say that. You humans told stories and spread lies about Atlantis. Said it was magical. Disappeared. Sank. Whatever. You humans and your simple, primitive minds could never see the truth. We disappeared because we wanted to. And we didn’t sink.”  
“Whoa, hold it, so you’re telling me I’m on Atlantis, the Atlantis, right now?”  
“No.”  
“No?! But you just said-”  
“I said you humans called it Atlantis. We prefer Ethereal. And this is not just a city, human, but a world.”  
“How?” He had to be lying. It was the only thing that made sense. Hell, maybe I was just have some crazy dream! Maybe I’d wake up any minute now and laugh at myself for my insanity.  
“We grew. Divided. Created. You should know the gist of procreation.” He shot a look my way.  
I scowled and felt my ears redden. “Of course I do! It just doesn’t make sense! Atlantis, if what you’re saying is even remotely true, was a city. A city! This…this isn’t a city! There’s not supposed be these huge trees and fog in a city.”  
He shrugged. “Like I said, it - we - grew. Your ‘Atlantis’ was just a starting point. Now Ethereal is its own world. You humans with your weak minds can’t comprehend it.”  
I glared at him. “Don’t tell me what I can and cannot comprehend! You don’t know me!” I took in a deep breath and sighed. “Okay. Okay, so. Atlantis? Really?”  
“You’re still on about that? Yes, really.”  
Was it just my imagination or was there a faint, crooked smirk on his face? Nah, just my mind playing tricks on me. There was no way this jerk could smile. I was surprised his vocal cords allowed him to laugh, seeing as how he was always to…cold sounding. At least he was whenever I heard him.  
“Okay…say I do believe you. The people on Atlantis were human! And…” I trailed off.  
“Go on,” he snapped. “Say it.”  
“And you’re not human,” I finished.  
He nodded. “Good boy.”  
I glared. “What the hell are you?”  
“Does it matter? Your simple human mind can’t comprehend-”  
“Yeah, yeah, I’m dumb, I get it, now on with it.”  
He snorted and looked deep into the fire. The sheer greenness of it had me feeling sick to my stomach because that wasn’t natural. At least not…where I came from. Maybe it was here?  
Great, now I was starting to think I was as crazy as him.  
“I am what you humans would call an immortal.”  
“Immortal?” The word felt wrong in my mouth. “Are you serious? You’re fucking immortal?”  
“We prefer the term ‘perpetual’.”  
“I don’t give a rat’s ass what you - did you say we? There’s a we? There’s more of you?”  
“More of me? No. I don’t multiply. But, yes, there are other perpetuals.”  
I scrubbed a hand over my face. “Okay, so…let me get this straight.” I took in a breath. “You…what? Okay, you say your from Atlantis, which, okay, to each his own. But immortal? There’s no such thing!”  
He slid his gaze toward me in a sideways look. “No. There is. You humans just wish to disprove everything you see, find some rational explanation. So you say ‘oh, yeah, sons can totally look exactly like their fathers. And sound like them. And move like them. Totally.’ But you fail to see the truth. You humans…are very skeptical.”  
“Stop calling me human,” I sighed. “My name is Terry.” I paused momentarily. “I never caught your name.”  
“That’s probably because I never said it.”  
Smug bastard.  
“So, what is your name?” I asked. I wasn’t sure why I cared because he was just a jerk - an apparently immortal jerk but a jerk nevertheless. Rude. Cold. Always calling me human…  
“Does it really matter?” he sighed in that way which meant he was hiding something, wasn’t saying something, but I didn’t know what. I wasn’t sure I even cared. All I knew was it was a sad sound and I found myself frowning.  
“Okay…um…let’s start over.” I slid a little closer and held out my hand. “Hi! I’m Terry, nice to meet you. And, you are?”  
He eyed my hand like it had two heads. I flexed my fingers a little, hinting how he should shake my hand, but he just snorted and turned his gaze away. “Kieron,” he exhaled.  
“Kieron?” I blinked. “That’s a…erm…unique name.”  
“Perhaps to you.”  
I shrugged. “Yeah, yeah, humans and blah, blah, blah, dumbness galore, how can resist the urge to gouge our eyes out, blah, blah. I get it.”  
Silence passed for a moment. Only the crackling of the green fire broke it.  
“So,” I started slowly, “why are we here?”

 

I wasn’t sure what time it was, but the sun was just barely disappearing over the tops of the leviathan trees when Kieron covered the burnt remains of our twig fire with dirt. Then we were off, into the trees for reasons unknown. Kieron had never answered me.  
I wasn’t sure if or when he would.  
So we trudged through the trees. For a long time. Hours. In reality I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but I was sweating despite the cold all around me. My muscles ached from trying to stay standing every time I tripped over a root or vine or something. I hated walking in the stupid darkness like this, not knowing where I was going. We all couldn’t be immortal whack jobs like him! I tried to tear off the jacket but he forced me to keep it on and keep my hood up. However he did allow me to unzip it.  
I wondered if anyone knew I was missing. If they were worried.  
Probably not. At least, not yet. Everyone was probably still sleeping off last night, getting rid of the hangover, apologizing to people if they had to. I had to have been the only one at John’s to not consume alcohol. John had inhaled more than his fair share. He was probably conked out on his giant bed still. Yeah, that made sense. And no one else there knew me well enough to even have a flicker of thought toward me…unless it was sex related, of course.  
And Rufus.  
I wasn’t sure what to think about him. Sometimes I’d see him only once a week. Sometimes every other day. I never knew with him.  
Either way, he would probably just think I was out if he dropped by and I wasn’t there. And Tommy was supposed to be bringing his laptop by sometime…Oh well. Guess he’d have to try and come back later.  
I just hoped there would be a later and I’d get to go home.  
Kieron stopped and I staggered to a halt behind him, finally looking around at my surroundings. I’d been lost in my thoughts and hadn’t really paid attention to anything around me, but now I noticed we were in yet another clearing. This time, though, there was a small cabin standing at the center of it. It wasn’t very large, maybe two rooms at the most, but it looked better than being out here again.  
Kieron gave me a sharp look and then moved toward the cabin. He knocked twice before twisting the knob and entering. Upon looking around, he gestured for me to follow him in, and then he shut the door behind me. I looked around.  
Yep, two rooms. Well, three if I were to count the small bathroom off to the back right. There was a living room and a kitchen. The living room was the largest in the cabin and had a bed made of straw on the ground, with covers strewn over it. It actually looked rather comfy, I had to admit.  
Kieron walked around with ease. In the woods he’d been rather stiff despite his graceful movements. Like he was waiting for something to happen. Like he was expecting something to happen.  
Now, though, he appeared comfortable. Relaxed.   
Maybe even soft.  
I quickly shook the thought off because it was ridiculous. Instead I moved toward the couch. The couch wasn’t like any I’d ever seen before. It looked like it was made out of wood, branches and whatnot, but when I sat down, it was soft and seemed to bend easily to my body.  
Weird.  
But comfortable.  
I heard movement behind me and turned my head enough to see Kieron entering the room. He stopped next to the couch and frowned down at me.  
“What?” I asked.  
“I don’t know how well Lehane will take to seeing you.”  
“Why not?” Lehane didn’t even know me, how could he - or she, since I knew nothing about this place or its names - judge me?  
“Humans typically aren’t welcomed here. Except…”  
“Except what?” I asked, because he had a somewhat troubled look on his face and his voice had gone sort of soft. It was very odd, especially from him. Or, at least, what I had seen of him thus far.  
“Nothing,” he grunted before he spun. “I’m starving.”  
I jumped up because my stomach was growling like crazy at the mention of possible food. I followed him into the kitchen and watched as he opened a few cabinets.  
Everything seemed to be made out of wood…except the sink, which was some odd kind of aluminum-like metal I’d never seen before, and the refrigerator, which was gray and appeared to made out of some substance I didn’t recognize. I wanted to say clay but that didn’t seem right. Clay couldn’t have electricity - right?  
From the cabinets, Kieron pulled down some kind of container. It almost looked like plastic but when he put it down on the counter, it sounded like glass. I wasn’t sure.  
He pried open the lid and smirked to himself. “Evereel, nice,” he said to himself.  
“Evereel?” I asked, confused.  
He grabbed a wooden spoon and slopped some weird-looking green stuff onto a plate. There were chunks of pink stuff in it too. I grimaced at the sight.  
“What the hell is that?”  
He snorted. “Type of plant.”  
“You’re eating plants now? Tell me, how insane are you? Just, you know, so I know how crazy I’m getting as compared to you…”  
He glared at me. “It’s a plant, dumbass, but it’s edible. It’s actually very…” His lips pursed. “Very healing.”  
“Healing?” I frowned. “It must taste awful then.” All of my medicines did.  
He rolled his eyes. “Actually, it tastes okay. And it’s therapeutic to the mind and body. But, since your simple mind can’t comprehend this, why don’t you just go sit on the couch like a good boy.” His lips twisted into a cold smirk. “If you’re good, I will even let you put your feet on the couch.” He snickered.  
I seriously had an urge to punch him. I stopped myself just in time, though, because I knew if I hit him, he’d probably kill me or something. As it was, I wasn’t even sure why he hadn’t killed me yet. Why was I still alive? Where were we going? Where were we now? I had so many questions but he was just such an ass about everything…  
I glared at him and stomped out of the room, sure I’d do something I’d regret - or something he’d make me regret - if I stayed there. “Eat your stupid plant!” I huffed loudly as I sat on the couch. I sat back and crossed my arms, glaring at the far wall.  
What a jerk!  
And just because, I put my feet on the couch, shoes and all.  
My body ached. Now that it’d had time to calm down, I felt cold. I wrapped the jacket around me tighter, folded into a corner of the couch, and shut my eyes.

 

I hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but apparently I had because the next thing I knew, I was suddenly on the floor and Kieron was smirking down at me. I rubbed at my head and tossed him a glare as I sat up.  
“You’re such a dick,” I hissed.  
He shrugged. “I’m not fond of you either,” he snapped before he looked toward the door. “Lehane is coming. As much as I would love to see you get your human ass kicked, you’re my responsibility right now so, as much as it pains me to say, you need to stay as safe as possible for the time being.” He shook his head. “So get the hell to the kitchen and stay out of sight until I say otherwise.”  
“Wait, wait - I’m your what? I’m not your stupid responsibility!” I got to my feet with a huff.  
Kieron rolled his eyes. I hoped they fell out! “Fine, you know what? Get your ass kicked. I really don’t give a rat’s ass. I doubt he’ll kill you.” He narrowed his eyes at me for a moment. “But…who knows with him. I could always claim it was an accident.” He shrugged. “Don’t need a damn human here anyway.”  
“It’s not like I asked to be here, you know!” I snapped, shoving at him. I was pretty sure it was the first physical move I’d made on him. He staggered back as though shocked I would dare do such a thing. Hell, I was shocked too. But he was really pissing me off! “If you don’t want me here like you keep saying, then take me home! I don’t want to be here anyway! I want nothing to do with you, you big, cold as fuck dick!” I shoved at him again.  
This time he caught my wrists and twisted. I winced as I staggered forward, trying to take some of the pressure off. He growled at me, a feral sound low in his throat, and I looked at his face.  
His eyes. Inhuman.  
Sharp teeth.  
I yanked away from him and was a little surprised when he actually let me.  
“You should learn your place, human,” he said lowly, a dark look in his eyes. “I could kill you so easily. I wouldn’t even blink. But I’m supposed to take you to someone. Otherwise, are you listening? Otherwise you’d be dead already and I’d be through with you!”  
I swallowed tightly, stepping back again because he looked seriously pissed. Plus, that inhuman look…immortal, okay, but inhuman? “Who are you taking me to? Why?”  
“To get fucking answers.”  
“Why?”  
“Does it fucking matter?”  
“Yes.”  
“Well, too damn bad.”  
I sighed. “Who are you taking me to?” I asked again.  
He rolled his eyes and gestured at the kitchen. “Do I have to tell you to get your ass in there again or will you just do as I say?”  
I swallowed again. “Who is Lehane?”  
“What are you, my mother? Sorry, Mom, but I can hang out with who I want. It’s none of your damn business. Now get in there.” He snagged my arm and basically tossed me into the kitchen. I grumbled and sat down in one of the wooden chairs, wincing a little as I moved my arm.  
Damn but he was strong.  
A few minutes later, I heard the door open. I stilled and held my breath as I heard footsteps enter the house.  
“Kieron,” a rough voice said with a touch of mirth. “What a surprise.”  
“Hey, Lehane,” Kieron said, and my eyes flew wide.  
Was that a friendly tone to his voice?  
No, I had to be mistaken.  
“What brings you here Kie? Haven’t seen you in a few months.”  
“Yeah, sorry. I’ve been busy.” He didn’t sound too sorry. But the other guy, Lehane, just laughed.  
“So what brings you here now?”  
I heard Kieron sigh. “Well, I’m kinda in trouble…”  
“Trouble?” Lehane asked at the same time I was thinking it.  
How was Kieron in trouble? If anything, I was in trouble, right? I was the unwelcome human threatening to be killed!  
“Yeah, look…I know how you feel about traveling, and-”  
“You didn’t,” Lehane said.  
“Well…okay, I was assigned there, alright? I didn’t have a choice! And this human just comes waltzing through like he owns the place, and-”  
“You killed him, right?” Dark, low. Cold.  
I felt a shiver crawl down my spine. I didn’t dare to breathe.  
“No,” came Kieron’s response.  
“Damn it, Kieron!”  
“I know, I know, I messed up, I thought he wouldn’t come back.”  
“But he did?”  
“Er…no. Not exactly.” A pause. Then his voice went a little quiet. “He saw me.”  
“Saw you?” Confusion in Lehane’s voice.  
“Yeah. My hair, the…well, he saw me.”  
“Oh. He saw you.”  
“Yeah.”  
“Damn. Did you kill him then?”  
“Well…”  
“Please tell me you tracked this human down and killed him.”  
Damn. I was starting to wonder if maybe Lehane hated humans more than Kieron, if that were possible.  
“I tracked him down, yeah, but…well. I wound up, erm…saving him.”  
Kieron sounded like a kid being busted by their parents for doing something they knew was wrong. It was the whole ‘I’m sorry. It was fun but I’m sorry. Won’t do it again…promise’ speech.  
“Saving him?” Lehane bellowed.  
Wow. That was really loud. I covered my ears momentarily, trying not to make a sound.  
When I pulled my hands away, I caught the tail end of Kieron’s response. “…no choice.”  
“Damn.” A pause. “The screamers, really?”  
“Oh yeah, definitely. I could hear ‘em screeching a mile away.”  
Screeching? I hadn’t heard anything.  
“Hmm…but what would they want with the human?” Now Lehane sounded curious, not pissed off. I thought it was an improvement, anyway.  
“I have an idea,” Kieron mumbled glumly. “That’s why I’m taking him to Bane.”  
“What would he know about - oh.” A pause. “Oh. You think…?”  
“I don’t know, but he saw me.”  
What was so significant about that? So I saw him, big deal! It’s not like he was being especially inconspicuous! He’d tackled me, what’d he think was going to happen?  
There was a long pause in the other room. Then Lehane asked, “Where is he?”  
Kieron raised his voice though he really didn’t have to. I could hear them fine but obviously I wasn’t supposed to. Did that have something to do with the whole ‘he saw me’ thing? Hmm. Maybe I’d have to ask.  
Then again, maybe not.  
“Human, come in here.”  
I scowled and got to my feet. “I told you, my name is Terry!” I said as I entered the living room. I swallowed at the sight of Lehane.  
He looked like a giant! He was about a foot taller than Kieron and thus about as much taller than me. I hadn’t bothered to check if Kieron was taller or shorter than me, but now as I looked at him, I thought he might have been two or so inches shorter.  
And Lehane was a giant! Just like those trees. What were they feeding these people? Steroids?  
I stared up at him and he peered down at me with disdain. Why was everyone looking at me like that?  
“This is the human?” Lehane asked.


	7. At Lehane's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lehane's not happy to know you, either.

Chapter Seven: At Lehane’s

 

 

 

Again with the ‘human’.

            Did no one understand the concept of ‘my name is Terry’?

            “Unfortunately,” Kieron sighed, folding his arms across his chest. I glared at him.

            “If you hate me so damn much, then take me home!” I snapped. “It’s not like I enjoy looking at your stupid face any more than you do!”

            Lehane actually laughed. I snapped my gaze toward him, confused. “Well, now I can see why.”

            “Why what?” I asked, confused.

            “Oh, have fun with this one, Kieron. I think he’s going to be a handful.”

            “Gee, thanks,” Kieron drawled. “Any other helpful tips?” He glared at the giant.

            Lehane’s brown eyes were no long narrowed in annoyance or anger. Instead, they gleaming with mirth. “Well, I could tell you to take him to the-”

            “Disgusting!” Kieron snapped.

            “You didn’t let me finish,” Lehane said, grinning.

            “I don’t have to, you’re still disgusting.” He shook his head. “Look, we need to stay here for the day. We’ll leave at night.”

            “Why night?” I asked before I could stop myself. Both looked at me as though startled I was still standing there. What? Was I supposed to leave on a whim? They’d called me in here! “Why night?” I asked again when they didn’t answer.

            Kieron rolled his eyes. “None of your damn-”

            “Kieron likes the night,” Lehane said.

            Kieron glared at him. “Shut. Up. He doesn’t need to know _anything_.”

            “Why’s he like the night?” I asked, because I enjoyed how angry Kieron was getting at the fact Lehane was answering me. Plus I was just happy to have someone finally talking to me and answering my questions. All Kieron did was order me around.

            “Kieron is an immortal - a perpetual, if you will. Did he tell you that?”

            “Yeah,” I said.

            “Good, good. He didn’t leave you _completely_ in the dark, then.” He chuckled.

            “Oh, Alpha, you’re not going to yammer on about me, are you?” Kieron snorted.

            “Why don’t you go for a run?” Lehane suggested. “You’re getting antsy.”

            Kieron glared at him, then me, and then back at Lehane. “Fine,” he snapped before he walked to the door and walked out, slamming the door shut behind him. The sound echoed around us and I winced at the volume.

            “Don’t mind him,” Lehane said with a shrug. “He gets angry but he wouldn’t hurt you. He’s actually quite harmless.”

            “What?” I stared at him. Was he insane? Kieron, harmless? “He keeps threatening to kill me! And he tossed me out a window and then into a ditch! And, hello! He’s not exactly _human_!”

            Lehane shrugged. “None of us are ‘exactly human’. But while Kieron may have an attitude, he wouldn’t hurt you. I don’t think he can.”

            “What do you mean? He tossed me into a ditch and out a damn window! He also twisted my wrists. So, yeah, those things kinda _hurt_.”

            “I don’t think he can seriously hurt you, not if you’re what I think you are.”

            “What? I’m a human. Isn’t that the whole problem?” He was making no sense!

            He shook his head. “You don’t understand,” he said. “But maybe you will, soon.”

            “What does that mean?” I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at him.

            “Nothing,” he said. He gestured at the couch. As I looked at it, I wondered how a giant like him could sit on it without breaking it. Then again, maybe I was exaggerating. “You can sit if you want.”

            I frowned for a moment before I moved toward the couch and sat on one side of it. A minute later, Lehane came over and joined me. He sat down next to me and the couch didn’t even groan at his weight. Hmm. Good couch.

            “So, Kieron tells me you can see him.”

            “Well, he’s not invisible if that’s what you’re asking.”

            Lehane gave me a sharp look. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. Don’t play dumb, human.”

            “My name is _Terry_! Seriously, is that so hard to say?”

            Lehane sighed. “Fine. Terry. Don’t play dumb. I know you saw him.”

            “Saw what?”

            “Don’t be dumb.”

            I sighed. “Okay, so, I may or may not have seen blue hair. And I also may or may not have seen sharp teeth. But, I think I’m just going crazy, so don’t listen to me.”

            “You’re not going crazy,” Lehane said, must to my chagrin. If I believed I was just crazy, I could think this was all just a weird dream. If he told me I wasn’t crazy, then maybe this was real, and I didn’t want it to be real.

            “Then what’s going on? What does it matter what I saw? Why am I here?” I asked, because I really wanted answers.

            “I think that will be up to Kieron to explain.”

            “Pfft, like he ever will. He full-out hates me.”

            “He doesn’t hate you,” Lehane corrected with a smirk. “He’s just angry right now. Give him time.”

            “I don’t want to. I just want to go home.”

            “I know you do, but right now it’s not safe for you at home.”

            “What do you mean?” I asked, frowning.

            “You’re being hunted, hu - I mean Terry.”

            “Hunted?” I asked, secretly please he had actually used my name instead of calling me ‘human’.

            Lehane shrugged his massive, broad shoulders. He looked like he could take on anyone. He had to be almost 7’. I myself was 5’8”. He looked almost more than a foot taller than me. Of course I might have been exaggerating, but damn! He was tall.

            “How am I being hunted? Why?” I demanded, narrowing my eyes at him. “Everything was fine until _he_ showed up and ruined everything!”

            “He actually saved your life by ‘showing up and ruining everything’, as you say,” Lehane said calmly.

            “How? All he did was basically kidnap me! After he broke into my apartment, by the way.”

            “I know you are upset, but he really did help you. He didn’t have to.”

            “I wish he hadn’t.”

            Lehane narrowed his eyes at me. I blinked at the sudden dark look swirling in his brown eyes. A shiver crawled up my spine. “You would thinking differently had he not bothered with you and let the screamers get you.”

            “Screamers?” I asked, remembering they had been talking about it earlier, but I had no idea what it meant.

            Lehane gave a slow nod. That wild, dark look in his eyes was still there and it was starting to scare me. “They’re nasty critters.”

            “Critters?”

            “They’re not human, not immortal, not Etherian.”

            “Etherian?” I blinked. “That’s what you call yourselves? Really?”

            He gave me a sharp look and I snapped my mouth shut.

            “They’re vile and hunt in packs of three or more. Their actually packs are quite large. They’re not human, they’re not like us, they’re not like anything I’ve ever seen before. Personally, I’ve never seen one up close and I’d rather not. Not my kind of thing.”

            “Not your kind of thing?”

            “My job is to deal in trade,” Lehane said. “It’s how I was brought up. I fight if necessary but otherwise, I just trade with others from different, er…I believe you humans call them towns. Or cities.” He shrugged. “We use the term ‘cities’ but towns…we mostly just call them habitats.”

            “Habitats?” This place just kept getting weirder.

            Lehane nodded. “Anyway, the screamers are not from habitats. Or cities. Or sectors. They’re not from here, exactly, but they’re not from your world either.”

            “So then, where are they from? And what, exactly, are they?”

            And more importantly, why would they be after me?

            “No one is quite sure where they are from. They are carnivores with a brain and thought-process.”

            I stared at him. “Like a thinking lion?”

            He cocked his head to the side momentarily before he sighed. “No, not exactly. Think of a cross between a human and an animal - human arms, legs, etc. But, there’s a darkness inside, a stone-cold heart and a thirst for blood, for death and destruction. Except, imagine them thinking things through to get what they really want.”

            I swallowed. None of that sounded good. Then I frowned as a thought occurred to me. “Wait a minute, you said like a cross between a human and some animal. Something feral, right? Isn’t Kieron just like that? He-”

            I was thrown from the couch so fast I couldn’t blink or process it in my mind. Not until I was on the ground after having smacked into a wall. I struggled to draw air into my lungs as Lehane stood from the couch and stalked toward me, a dangerous look in his eyes, his lips pulling back in a low snarl. I saw sharp teeth. Oh, no, he was one too, wasn’t he? Damn it!

            I was on my back on the ground, and I struggled to sit up as he approached me. He snagged me by the front of my shirt, hauled me to my feet, and slammed my back into the wall. I was sure I heard wood splinter as I winced at the pain sparking through my body. My spine felt so abused.

            “I’m sorry,” I said quickly, staring at him with wide eyes. My feet weren’t even touch the damn ground. I was being held in the air with my back pressed painfully into the wall. His grip had his hand putting pressure on my chest. “Whatever I said, I’m sorry, I-”

            “Don’t talk like that about Kieron,” Lehane spat coldly. “He is a _perpetual_ , not a damn _monster_ , do you understand me? Well, do you!”

            “I do!” I said, nodding quickly.

            “He is nothing like them! They are unnatural!”

            Wasn’t being a perpetual unnatural? But I was in no position to argue right now.

            “I’m sorry,” I murmured again. “Okay? I just…I don’t understand any of this!”

            “That doesn’t mean you get the right to accuse-” Lehane started angrily.

            “Lehane,” came Kieron’s voice from the doorway, “as much as I would love to see you kick his ass, I kind of need him alive for the time being, so…drop him.”

            He was actually standing up for me? What. The. Hell.

            Lehane released me and I dropped to the floor and landed on my ass. I swallowed in relief at having been released and Lehane stepped away from me. As he moved out of my line of sight, I saw Kieron close the door behind him as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

            I hadn’t really paid attention to his clothes before, but now I did.

            It almost looked modern. Human. From, well…from where I lived, I guess. But there was something…off…about it. He wore what looked like black cloth pants. Not necessarily cloth, but the weird fabric used in like, khaki pants. Except black, and somewhat thicker. I could see the gray stitch pattern on the side of Kieron’s left pant leg as he stepped forward. It was probably on his right one too. His shirt was also a thick fabric, black in color, but it looked…almost _soft_. I shook my head and focused on his face and weird blue hair.

            “You just can’t stay out of trouble, can you, human?” Kieron asked, smirking at me.

            It was weird to see him smirk. Maybe that was why I only scowled at him and didn’t bother telling him my name again.

            “I think we’ve imposed enough. We’ll leave.” Kieron gave me a hard look and I scrambled to my feet.

            “You don’t have to go,” Lehane said.

            “It’s fine. It’s best we keep moving anyway. There’s still a bit of night left. We can make good time and break for camp later.”

            “Let me give you some food, at least.”

            Kieron nodded, accepting the offer. Lehane hurried into the kitchen. Meanwhile, Kieron looked me up and down.

            “You seriously need a change of clothes,” he said.

            “What’s wrong with my clothes?” I looked down at myself. I wore the same clothes I’d put on before I’d gone to John’s. At that thought, I remembered the odd underwear. I felt my ears burn red.

            “You look like a human.”

            “I _am_ human,” I said, glaring at him.

            Kieron shrugged. “Yeah, but you are _dressed_ like one. A lot of those here don’t care for humans. You’d save yourself a lot of trouble if you just lose those clothes.”

            “What should I wear?”

            “Dunno. I think Lehane has some.”

            “He’s way too big!” I said, staring at Kieron. “None of that crap will fit me.”

            “He has other sizes, you know.”

            “What do you mean? Why?”

            “Where do you think I live some of the time?” Kieron tossed a smirk and shook his head. “And Lehane can change sizes. Not to mention ages.”

            “What?” I stared at him, unbelieving.

            “He can look sixteen and be 4’ tall if he wants. I think she shortest he can go is 4’. I also think, but I’m not sure so don’t quote me, the youngest he can go is fifteen.”

            “You’re joking,” I said. “Hah hah, you almost got me.”

            He just stared at me with this hard look on his face.

            “Right…you don’t joke,” I muttered, shaking my head. “Are you serious?”

            “I don’t lie like some creatures,” he said, giving me a pointed look.

            “I don’t lie!” At least, I tried not to. I didn’t like to. But sometimes it was necessary. “And stop looking down on me! You’re no better than I am, you bastard!”

            “Here you go,” Lehane said, returning to the room. I snapped my mouth shut and eyed the giant warily. I’d seen his teeth. I knew what he was - another _perpetual_ , obviously. He had teeth similar to Kieron’s. Not the same, exactly, but similar. Plus, he already seemed pissed at me. I didn’t want a repeat of the wall experience.

            Lehane held out some kind of bag. It looked almost like a duffel, but it was obviously designed to go on one shoulder and hang down on the other side of the body. It was a light tan color. Kieron took the bag and slipped it over his head to let the strap rest on his right shoulder. The bag hung down by his right hip.

            “Thanks,” Kieron said.

            “Do you need anything else? Where are you going to sleep?”

            “The ground’s fine.”

            Lehane nodded.

            “But, I could use some clothes. For both of us, I guess.” He slid his gaze toward me and then back to Lehane.

            Lehane nodded and turned to move toward a side door I hadn’t even noticed. As he opened the door I realized it was a closet full of clothes, towels, crate-like boxes, etc. He snagged a few articles of clothing and tossed them to Kieron. Kieron caught them and opened the bag before he put them in and closed it.

            The bag had that flap thing. The top flapped back to open and then forward to close, the tip of it now hanging down toward the bottom, sliding across the front. I didn’t think it had a snap or Velcro or anything to help keep it closed.

            “Alright, thanks,” Kieron said.

            Lehane nodded and then frowned. “Tell me, Kieron…” Then he leaned forward and whispered something into Kieron’s ear. I strained to hear but couldn’t, so I sighed and folded my arms across my chest. I still wore the jacket so I pulled the hood up to get ready to leave.

            Kieron scowled at Lehane and then turned, abruptly moving toward the door, practically bristling. If he was an animal, his fur would be standing on end. The thought almost made me laugh.

            Almost.

            “Let’s go,” Kieron said as he tugged the door open.

            I hurried toward the door and outside as Kieron nodded at Lehane in farewell before he followed me out and shut the door behind him.

            Darkness surrounded us. The air was chilly, more so than before, and I wrapped my arms around myself, frowning at him.

            “Where are we going?” I asked.

            He didn’t bother answering, just took off in a random direction. I sighed and followed after him.

            It was either that or be left there with Lehane, who I had apparently rubbed wrong there in the last few minutes of our talk.

            I hadn’t meant to offend him, but obviously I had.

            I sucked.

            I just couldn’t keep my big mouth shut, could I?

 

 

 

It was nearing dawn when we stopped, finally. My legs were sore from walking so much. I was in no means out of shape - I was pretty thin which I was told made me a good bottom - but hours of walking and nearly tripping on everything I couldn’t see had really taken its toll on me.

            I was thankful to be finally be able to sit down. Kieron sat down near a tree and began rifling through the bag. I couldn’t see much through the darkness and I wondered how he could tell what he was even touching.

            Then again, he wasn’t human.

            For all I knew, he had night vision.

            It would explain how he never tripped.

            He pulled out two blankets and tossed them to me. I caught them and sighed as I wrapped them around me. They really made the ground less cold to sit on.

            He also pulled out two containers. He popped one open, seemingly already knowing what it was, and grabbed something. He chucked it at me and I barely caught it before it smacked into my chest. Peering down at it, I noticed it was some kind of bar. It almost looked like a candy bar but it didn’t feel like chocolate in my grip. It was smooth, un-melting, and oddly warm.

            “What’s this?” I asked.

            “Rhine,” he said absently as he pulled out a bar for himself and began digging through the bag again. “It’s like a type of meat but…I don’t know. It’s different. I’m not sure how to really explain but. But it’s filling. I can hear your damn stomach growling from here.”

            I blinked and then realized he was right. With all that happened at Lehane’s, I had completely forgotten my hunger, but now it was back with a vengeance. Without hesitation, I took a huge bite out of the bar.

            “Only eat half,” Kieron said. “We’ll save the rest for later.”

            “How is half gonna fill me up?” I asked incredulously as I chewed.

            “Trust me, it will. It might take a minute but it will. If you eat it all, you’re going to get a stomach ache and probably get sick, and then it just would have been wasted. Plus, then the area would smell like vomit and I am not fond of the stench.”

            I snorted and ate only half of my bar, as advised. Then I tossed it toward him when he looked up. He caught it and dropped it back in the container at the same time he was doing the same to his.

            “Don’t be giving me yours,” I said.

            “Mine is bigger. I didn’t eat as much,” Kieron said. “Plus I would never want to eat yours after your human mouth touched it.” There was an obvious scowl in his voice.

            I was too tired to come up with a retort or argue about the ‘human’ thing again. So I just sighed and lay down with my covers.

            “You gonna start a fire?” I asked.

            “Nah. We’re getting close to a habitat and I don’t want to draw attention.”

            “So, like a town, right?” I asked just to be sure.

            “Yeah.” He seemed surprised I knew what he was talking about.

            I felt pride consume me. Finally he didn’t have to explain something to me and call me inferior!

            There was silence for a bit. Then a asked, “What’s a screamer?”

            There was a brief pause before I heard Kieron shift. Glancing back at him, I noticed he was getting comfortable against the tree, leaning back into it with the bag next to him and his legs stretched out in front of him.

            “They’re really annoying,” he said with a sigh. “and they’re monsters.”

            “What does that mean? What are they?”

            “Think of a demon.”

            “They’re _demons_?” I all but squeaked, shocked. Surely he wasn’t saying demons were real.

            “You didn’t let me finish. Think of a demon. Now think of a shape-shifter. Now picture them combined.” A pause. “Picture an animal, a man. Now picture them combined. Picture fear and strength. Now combined.”

            “This is making no-”

            “Still not done,” he cut me off sharply. “They live off blood but they’re not _vampires_.” He all but snarled at the word.

            “Are vampires real?” I asked, because I was actually curious. I should have been disturbed at the thought I was even thinking they might be real, but after all I’d seen so far…I wasn’t sure I’d be surprised.

            “Yeah,” Kieron answered. “They’re real but they’re pretty harmless ever since they went vegetarian.”

            “Vegetarian?” I asked incredulously.

            “Yeah.”

            “How?!”

            “They decided meat wasn’t their thing, or blood, so they started using supplements. Apparently it’s supposed to taste like blood but give them more of a ‘rush’. What a load of bull! They’re not even vampires anymore, not really.” A pause. “I miss the old days.”

            “Old days?”

            “When vampires were vampires. The kind of vampires who you humans portrayed as Dracula, stalking women, devouring blood, all that good stuff. Now they’re pretty harmless. Got tired of having people, humans and Etherians alike, hunting them down for committing murder. I’m surprised they don’t _sparkle_.”

            Such disdain in his voice!

            I couldn’t help but poke fun. “I take it you’re not a fan of Twilight.”

            “I don’t care for human literature. Especially romance. But I’ve heard about it and I disagree. I’ve known a lot of vampires and they don’t sparkle. Unless they’re seppon.”

            “Seppon?”

            “I believe your term for the word is ‘gay’.”

            “Gay? So they like the same sex?” I asked just to clarify. I wasn’t sure what ‘gay’ meant to him. It could have been anything.

            “It’s more complicated than that.”

            “How so?”

            “Etherians don’t get to pick who they combine with.”

            “Combine?”

            “Mate with,” he explained.

            “What do you mean? You guys have _mates_? Are you kidding me?”

            “It’s more they don’t get to pick who they go with. It’s predetermined.”

            “Arranged?”

            “If you are referring to arranged marriages, no. Not exactly. No one forces them to be with anyone. It’s more it’s hardwired into their mind the moment they’re born, and the minute they come across the Etherian they’re meant to be with, their brains get a signal and viola, love at first sight.”

            “That crap is _real_?” I asked, flabbergasted.

            “Here, yes. You humans…you misinterpret your desire for someone as love when really, it’s _lust_ at first sight for you humans.”

            I rolled my eyes. “So it’s real?” I prompted, just to be sure.

            “Indeed.”

            “How?”

            “It’s just the way they are.”

            “The way they - wait, they? Don’t you mean ‘we’? Aren’t you an Etherian?”

            “I am, but I’m different.”

            “How?” I asked.

            “I’m a perpetual. We don’t have that spark.”

            “Oh…so what does that mean?”

            “It’s a solitary existence. We don’t get to have love.”

            “That sucks!” I said, staring at his figure through the darkness. “That’s so unfair. So you’ve never loved anyone?”

            “It’s not in my genes.”

            “But love is something you _experience_ , not something you _inherit_ ,” I said. “I mean, how else were you made?”

            His voice turned sharp. “I was made because I was _needed_.”

            “What’s that mean? Needed?”

            “Two perpetuals were told to get together and create more perpetuals. Six months later, here I am.”

            “Six? So you were premature.”

            “Nope. I was right on time, actually. Humans apparently carry their young for nine months. We don’t.”

            “But what does that have to do with being needed?”

            I was confused and horrified at the same time. He couldn’t love anyone? Had to be alone? And he was _immortal_? How cruel! I couldn’t imagine myself being alone for the rest of my life. I’d probably go mad!

            “There was a war. They needed more perpetuals. Now there’s too damn many of us.”

            “What? A war?”

            “Don’t you ever run out of questions?”

            I was actually surprised he’d answer them so far. I didn’t want to push my luck but I was curious.

            “When was this war? How old are you?”

            “I don’t know.”

            “You don’t know?” I growled. “How can you not know?”

            “For a perpetual, there is no age.”

            “You look about twenty-seven.”

            “I can’t control how I look. Once I grew, I only aged a few more years before it stopped.” He shrugged. “That’s when It kicked in.”

            “It?” What the hell was he talking about? Was he not allowed to make sense?

            “Go to sleep.”

            “But-”

            “Just go to _sleep_.”

            I sighed. I figured I’d pushed my limit tonight. I was shocked he’d answered _any_ of my questions, let alone so many of them.

            On the ground, I shut my eyes, pulled the covers tighter around me, and felt myself drift off.

            Before I crashed, my last thought was ‘home’.


	8. Bane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At least Bane doesn't seem to hate you... yet.

Chapter Eight: Bane

 

 

 

 

None of this was what I expected. None of this was what I _wanted_. But, I guess, as a _human_ , I didn’t ever get what I wanted. Life was cruel and unfair but apparently I had no way out of it. Kieron sure as hell wouldn’t mind getting rid of me yet he wouldn’t take me home, and I couldn’t return on my own.

            None of this seemed real. How _could_ it?

            Perpetuals. ‘Predetermined’ love. Vampires that don’t sparkle. Freaking _Atlantis_.

            I wished I’d never gone into the woods to begin with. My life would have been so much easier then. If only I’d remembered to bring a better jacket - or hadn’t drank so much…

            But ‘if only’s and ‘what if’s won’t get my anywhere.

            In a few short minutes, I fell back to sleep. Somehow, I knew when I next opened my eyes, I would still be here because this wasn’t a crazy dream…even though I wished it was.

            When I opened my eyes again and consciousness seeped through me, I noticed Kieron was gone. A part of me was panicked but another part of me was relieved. Good riddance to him! But at the same time, I wasn’t sure if I needed him. If I did, I needed to find him. If I didn’t…well, he was an ass anyway.

            A few minutes later, though, he came ambling through the trees.

            “I see you finally got up,” he commented as he moved toward the bag and shut the flap. Everything was packed up and ready to go as we hadn’t really used anything last night.

            I rose to my feet.

            “We’ve got a long ways to go yet. We need to pick up the pace.”

            “Why?” I asked. Why was he always in such a hurry?

            He threw me a nasty look which caused me to scowl. “Let’s get going.”

            “But where? Why? I want to go home!”

            “And I want to get rid of you, but we don’t always get what we want,” he snapped back.

            He glared at me a moment longer and then turned and started walking. I had no choice but to follow him, not unless I wanted to stick around in the darkness and be lost.

            A second later, I started to shuffle after him.

 

 

 

Night. I was really beginning to despise it.

            I staggered along after Kieron. Why could humans not be granted the gift of night vision? Because apparently Kieron was. He wasn’t making a lot of noise, stumbling over every little thing in his way. No, that was me.

            “Human, be more quiet, would you?” he hissed over his shoulder, slowing down somewhat. “Do you want everyone to hear us coming?”

            “What’s it matter?” I asked. “And stop calling me ‘human’! I have a name, you know.”

            “Good for you, but I really don’t give a damn.”

            “Okay, _perpetual_ ,” I snarked.

            He rolled his eyes.

            “Faster,” he told me as he picked up the pace.

            I had no choice but to do the same.

            Even if my shins were aching from stumbling into things.

 

 

 

Why did we always have to travel at night? I grimaced as I tripped over yet another root. Kieron just _had_ to like the night, didn’t he? I sighed and looked up. Branches hindered my view but from what I could see of the sky, the moon was overly large and bright. Despite the brightness, shadows covered the ground and the branches kept most of the light from illuminating those damn roots.

            I wanted to go home. I missed my bed and my apartment. Hell, I even missed my bathroom! I just wanted to get back to my life, back to normal, and not have to worry about disappearing cities, giants, and immortals. A part of my mind was still convinced this was all a crazy hallucination and I’d hopefully wake up any minute now.

            Except it didn’t seem to be happening.

            Surely someone was missing me by now, right? I felt a flicker of doubt spark through my chest.

            What if no one cared? What if they hadn’t even bothered to check up on me? It’d been a few days since the party at John’s. He usually called the next day or so to check up on me, but…would he care if I didn’t answer? If I just…wasn’t anywhere to be found?

            Ow. All this thinking was giving me a headache.

            Kieron stopped suddenly and I quickly came to a halt so as to not run into him. He seemed to be standing perfectly still, not moving at all. I wasn’t even sure he was breathing.

            Did immortals need to breathe?

            “What?” I asked quietly, confused as to why were stopping.

            “Shh,” he hissed breathily. “Can you hear it?”

            I paused and listened. All I heard was the faint whistle of the wind, the sway of the leaves on the trees, but nothing else. “No,” I murmured, shaking my head.

            “Screamers,” Kieron muttered distastefully.

            “Screamers?” I could remember what Lehane had said about them, and Kieron. I still didn’t know quite what they were but I knew I already didn’t like them. They seemed like bad news.

            Not to mention they appeared to be _hunting me_.

            “I don’t hear anything.”

            “Shh,” he said again, sharper this time. He edged forward slowly and I stayed where I was, trying not to make any noise.

            What was a screamer? Why were they important? Why were they here? And apparently at my apartment? I had so many questions but now was clearly not the time to get answers. I wasn’t sure when it would be time, if ever.

            I wasn’t sure what happened, but suddenly Kieron’s blue hair was longer, shaggier, more wild, and a low growl emanated from deep in his throat. His back was to me so I couldn’t see it all, but I was sure his teeth had gone razor-sharp and his eyes had gone all inhuman again.

            I saw his ear twitch. I swear I did!

            His ears were longer now, and kind of pointed at the tips. They led up under his hair but due to the way he was standing and the wind, I could see it just barely. I noticed it twitched again when the shadows around it moved. Plus we were standing pretty close, with me just a few feet away from him. If that.

            _What is it?_ I wondered with a frown. _What’s happening?_

            Another growl broke through the silence around us, except this time it hadn’t come from Kieron, but from my right, and it was much louder. Like a wolf, or some other vicious, wild animal, primal with need and a savageness I couldn’t recognize.

            I spun and faced the direction at the same time Kieron did. Glowing red eyes appeared out of the fog and I stared, seemingly frozen to the spot. My mind shouted to run but my feet thought the ground felt nice and didn’t want to move.

            “Don’t just stand there like a statue, run!” Kieron snapped at me as he threw himself forward and _toward_ the thing with the red eyes. The creature jumped forward at the same time and the two of them collided.

            It looked like a blur to me. All I saw was the two of them dodging blows and throwing them out. A low snarl came from Kieron as he sliced through the creature’s side with jagged, tough-as-shit nails. Where had _those_ come from? Another immortal advantage, maybe?

            “I said run!” Kieron growled as the creature took a swipe at him.

            I snapped out of my frozen trance and darted forward to help. There wasn’t much I could do - as Kieron was so keen on saying, I was a dumb human - but I couldn’t just let him fight alone. I hated him but it was wrong of me to run and let him keep fighting.

            But what could I do?

            The best I could think of were those damn roots.

            “Get the _fuck_ out of here!” Kieron snarled at me, just as a clawed fist slammed into him. I wasn’t aware of how _strong_ the screamer was until Kieron flew through the air and smacked into a tree with a dull thud. He slid down and hit the ground, blinking slowly, blood running down his face from a cut to his brow.

            “Kieron,” I said even though I wasn’t sure why I was worried about the bastard. He was an ass.

            But maybe I was worried because he was the only thing standing between me and my certain death.

            Above all else, I still didn’t want to die.

            So I lunged forward, glared angrily at the creature, and spread my arms open wide. I just had to distract it long enough for Kieron to get his feet, as I kept telling myself. That was it.

            “Come get me,” I said. “I taste _delicious_.”

            _Antagonizing the monster is going to get you killed…_ a voice in my mind said. It sounded vaguely like John. I scowled.

            The creature rounded on me with a vicious snarl, eyes glowing red like orbs of fire. I jumped back as much as I could, staggered on another stupid _root_ , and fell down on my ass. The screamer followed me down and pinned me. Jaws clearly came unhinged as the creature opened its mouth wide. Sharp - why so damn sharp? - fangs loomed over me, dripping with…with…

            Saliva?

            My gut twisted. I hoped it was saliva and not poison.

            I snapped my eyes shut as the screamer leaned down to tear into my face, but the pain never came. Instead, it was launched off me. I opened my eyes to find it and Kieron becoming blurs again.

            I climbed to my feet and watched. There wasn’t much else I could do, and Kieron seemed to be handling himself just fine.

            I wasn’t sure what he did, but suddenly the screamer was knocked away from him, a green liquid now coating its face in what looked like claw marks…

            Wait a minute…

            Was that _blood_? _Green_ blood?

            Kieron had dropped the bag when he’d lunged at the screamer the first time, and so now I darted toward it and opened the flap. There had to be _something_ in here I could use to help.

            I dug through the contents and winced when something sharp sliced my finger open. Wincing, I clasped the object and pulled it out as blood dripped onto it.

            It was a dagger…and oddly shaped one at that. It was pretty long, too. The blade was jagged on both sides, and it appeared very _sharp_.

            I clutched the handle and turned to face Kieron and the screamer.

            Kieron kicked the creature away. It smashed _through_ a tree and hit the ground, unmoving. Kieron turned to me, panting slightly, blood dripping down his face. It curved around his eye and down one side of his nose.

            “I thought I told you to _run_ ,” he hissed.

            “You’re _welcome_ ,” I muttered.

            “I didn’t need your help.”

            “Yeah right! You hit a tree and were sitting there like an idiot,” I snapped. “I gave you time to get up.”

            He rolled his eyes. “I’m an immortal - nothing was going to happen to me. Now, fucking _move_. He won’t stay down for long, and there will be more coming.” He eyed the dagger and sneered at me. “Put that away before you hurt - too late.” He gazed at the blood.

            I glared at him. “Maybe I should keep this.”

            “With the way you _fall_ all the time? Nope. You’ll stab yourself. Not that it wouldn’t be fun _watching_ , but for now you need to be _alive_.”

            “Why’s that?” I challenged. “If you hate me so much, why are you taking me with you? Why are you _protecting_ me?”

            Even though I hated the thought.

            He narrowed his steely gaze at me and snarled something beneath his breath before he stole the dagger from my hands. I clutched too late and the blade slid free from my grasp.

            “We need to keep moving. Pick up the pace.”

            I sighed. “You know, I could probably move faster if we didn’t always travel at _night_. Unlike you, I can’t _see_ in the dark because I’m a _normal_ person.”

            “You’re pathetic, that’s what you are.” Then he turned on his heel and began quickly walking away. With a groan, I followed after him.

            What choice did I have?

 

 

 

I wasn’t sure how long we walked but it felt like weeks. Months. _Years_ even. My feet were aching and my legs almost wanted to give out on me. I wasn’t out of shape by any means, but after having walked for days - nights - now and tripping over every damn root, I just wanted to sit down and go to sleep.

            But Kieron kept moving so I had no hope of sleep or of stopping. It was clear the guy wasn’t human because normal people _slept_ and traveled by _day_.

            Not to mention they weren’t immortal. Or in Atlantis.

            Or a lot of things.

            My throat was dry and raw. My tongue had glued itself to the roof of my mouth a while ago. If Kieron was thirsty too, he sure as hell didn’t show it.

            And so we walked. And walked. And walked.

            And just for a change of pace, we walked some more.

            Finally I couldn’t take it anymore.

            “Can we please stop,” I huffed. “My tongue is drying out.”

            “Good, it’ll keep you quiet,” was his response.

            I glared at the back of his head. Even in the darkness I could see those blue strands. “Why are we in such a hurry, anyway?”

            “Oh, I don’t know, maybe because screamers are hunting us? Or how about I want to get rid of you and I can’t until we talk to Bane.”

            “Who is Bane, and why does it matter?” I asked.

            And as I expected, he said nothing.

            And so we kept moving.

 

 

 

I wasn’t aware we’d stopped until I staggered into Kieron’s back. He shoved me away roughly and I blinked, glancing up from where I’d been looking at the ground. A building loomed before us. Lights were lit in the windows so I knew someone was home. The building was huge, though - like a mansion almost, but duller.

            “Is this it?” I asked hopefully. “Is this where Bane is?”

            I hoped so because then it would mean no more walking.

            Kieron merely grunted in response and started moving forward, toward a side door on the building. I quickly followed after him.

            He pushed the door open without even knocking, and walked right in. With a sigh, I did the same. I blinked harshly as light filled my vision. I’d been in the dark for so long now, the sight of it burned my eyes.

            We went through a few rooms before Kieron suddenly stopped. A figure stood before us. It was a man just a little taller than Kieron, it seemed, with shaggy red-brown hair. His back was toward us but after Kieron cleared his throat, the man turned and narrowed topaz eyes at him.

            “Kieron,” he said as a grin broke out across his face. He moved toward us. “What a pleasant surprise.”

            “Yeah, well…” Kieron murmured as the guy stopped in front of him.

            The man’s gaze slid toward me. “And who is this? He smells odd.”

            I stared at him. “Excuse me?” I asked. “I smell _odd_? What’s that supposed to mean?”

            He chuckled and looked to Kieron for a response.

            “He’s a human.”

            Now the guy’s gaze turned dangerous. “Kieron, you know the rules. Humans aren’t allowed here.”

            “I’m aware of that,” Kieron snapped. “It’s not like I _want_ him here.”

            “Then why bring him?”

            I wanted an answer to that too.

            “He saw me.”

            “What does that have to do with bringing him here?” the guy asked slowly.

            “I mean he _saw_ me,” Kieron said.

            Now the man’s eyes widened thoughtfully. “Oh…I see.” He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. “Kieron, you’re playing with fire here.”

            “I know. But it’s not like I can be killed.” He shrugged.

            “The human can.”

            I nodded helpfully. “Yes, _I_ can.”

            I didn’t even bother to correct the guy on my name.

            “That’s why I brought him to you.”

            “Oh?” The man raised a brow in question.

            Kieron scrubbed a hand over his face. “He saw me. And screamers were coming and they’d only do that if-”

            “So you think…?” the guy asked.

            Kieron simply nodded. “But I hope not.”

            “What are you talking about?” I asked, feeling very confused.

            “Nothing that concerns you,” Kieron snapped at me, sending me a quick glare before he looked back at the man. “What can you tell me, Bane? I don’t need him, do I? He can die?”

            Ah, so this was Bane and - wait a minute, what? He thought he _needed_ me? And he wanted me to die?

            I fought the urge to punch him in the back of the head. Somehow, I was certain it wouldn’t do much damage. His skull was way too thick.

            _Asshole,_ I thought to myself, glaring at the back of his head where I envisioned my fist slamming into that thick-ass skull.

            “I am not sure,” Bane finally replied, and obviously it wasn’t the answer Kieron wanted to hear, because the blue-haired _immortal_ \- and it still seemed crazy to me - went a little rigid and a quiet growl escaped him.

            “I don’t need him,” he declared.

            “Excuse me,” I felt the need to point out, “but the _him_ you speak of is _right here_.”

            Bane’s eyes switched to me. I swallowed thickly because his eyes were so intense, so… _inhuman_. But somehow, that was beginning to become the norm…and I wasn’t sure which scared me more - the fact I was supposedly being hunted, or that I was getting used to the fact I seemed to be the only _human_ around.

            They were both equally upsetting.

            “And who are you?” Bane asked, eying me up and down as though sizing me up. Involuntarily, I puffed out my chest and tried to look more intimidating than I really was.

            Of course I failed. I could never really look intimidating.

            “I’m Terry,” I said. I was shocked he was speaking to me but at least someone had asked who I was instead of just calling me the ‘human’.

            Bane nodded slowly. “Terry, huh?” He slid his gaze toward Kieron. “What do you think, Kie?”

            Kieron glared at him. “You know by now it doesn’t matter what I _think_.”

            Bane’s brow twisted in annoyance. “Your opinion matters, Kieron.”

            Kieron scoffed loudly. “Are you going to answer me or not? Tell me I don’t need the human.”

            “ _Terry_ ,” I corrected him instantly.

            He just threw me a glare.

            Of course he did.

            Bane shrugged effortlessly, a lazy roll of his shoulders which appeared more muscular than I had previously thought. “I don’t know, Kieron. Perhaps you should ask Blaine and Ashere.”

            Kieron groaned. “Do I really have to involve them? Can’t you just tell me?”

            “I’m pleased you think I’m so smart, but really, Kie…I don’t know. It’s not like I know what is predetermined.”

            Kieron sighed and shook his head. I almost felt sorry for him because his shoulders slumped as though in defeat. “Well, thanks, I guess. What do I do with him? There’s no way in hell I’m taking him Ashere’s.”

            An amused smirk slid across Bane’s face. “Why? Afraid he will do something rash?”

            The blue-haired immortal sent Bane a steely glare but there was something…on his face…

            Wait a minute - was that? No…it couldn’t be, but-

            Yes! It was! The mighty Kieron appeared to be _blushing_. It was very faint but I could only just see it due to the fact he was already pale. The highlight to his cheeks might now have been noticeable to some, but having spent nights glaring at him now, I noticed the change.

            He was blushing!

            I almost laughed - really wanted to - but I still needed to find a way home and at the moment, he was all I had…

            So I kept quiet and settled for a smirk.

            “Shut up,” Kieron hissed at Bane in response to his earlier question. “Breathe a word of this to Ashere before I talk to him and I will find you.”

            “And?”

            “You know _and_.”

            Bane laughed. “I’m only teasing, Kieron. What are you going to do with Terry?”

            Yes! Finally, someone was using my actual name!

            “I don’t know…unless you want to watch him?”

            “No.” Bane shook his head. “I don’t need screamers coming around here. I’ve got innocent children to feed.”

            Innocent children? What was he talking about?

            “Well, whatever,” Kieron said, shaking his head. “I’ll figure something out.”

            Bane nodded. “I’m sure you will. Now, I can give you a place to sleep for today, but while it’s nice seeing you again, Kieron, I do think it’s best if you leave soon. The screamers and all. I’m sure you understand.”

            “I do,” Kieron said. He turned and grabbed my arm, hauling me from the room. I didn’t know where we were going and the grip, surprisingly, wasn’t harsh, so I let him lead me down a hallway and into a room.

            In the room were two twin beds.

            He dropped his duffel on one of the beds. “Go to sleep,” he said to me. “The sun’s coming up.”

            I sighed, sat on the other bed, then curled under the covers.

            As my head slid onto the pillow, I remembered how much I absolutely _loved_ beds.


	9. Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because you ruin everything.

Chapter Nine: Attack

 

 

I wasn’t sure what was going on.

            One minute I was sleeping, encased in the covers in an actual bed and not on the hard ground. The next, I was snapping awake to a resonating _boom_! and I wasn’t sure what to do.

            My first thought was, _We’re under attack!_

            My second was, _I wanna go home._

            In the end, I just shot a glance at Kieron’s bed. He was sitting up with narrowed eyes locked on the door to the room. A light was on in the room, very dull and faint but at least it was _light_ unlike the dark of the night like it had been lately.

            “What’s going on?” I asked quietly. My heart was thudding in my chest. An eerie feeling was coursing through me like a shock of uneasy electricity. All I could think about was the fact I was supposedly being _hunted_ and I’d already been found once.

            Or twice, if you counted the time Kieron supposedly saved me at my home, though why he’d bother, I’ll never know.

            He hated me and made it clear every time he glared at me.

            “Nothing good,” was Kieron’s grunted reply. “Stay here.” He got to his feet and edged toward the door.

            “Where are you going?”

            “Shh!” he hissed at me, giving me a dirty look before he pried the door open and silently slipped out of the room, the door shutting behind him without a sound. Hmm. Interesting.

            I’d never known a door could be so quiet.

            I sighed and scratched at my head. How long had it been since I’d showered? I felt greasy and itchy all over. Maybe this place had a shower? Or something? I hadn’t asked last night, too exhausted to think beyond ‘ohmygodabed’. While my body felt fairly rested, _finally_ , I felt less than clean.

            Kieron hadn’t showered either. I mean, I’d been with him the whole time, and I hadn’t. But his hair didn’t look greasy. Maybe he’d snuck off while I was sleeping. Who knew.

            _Why the hell are you thinking of showers when you might be under attack?_ my mind, ever the pessimist, snapped at me. _You’re in freaking **Atlantis** , you’re being hunted, and you have no way to get back home without the help of the guy who hates you but yet seems to be protecting you anyway._

            My mind was right.

            I sighed and got to my feet.

            I was just approaching the door when Kieron zipped into the room, a wild look in his eyes. I’d never seen that expression on his face before, and it stopped me cold in my tracks as I stared at him without even breathing - that was how incredibly _shocked_ I was.

            “W-What’s wrong?” I stammered, unable to tear my gaze away from his wide, crazy blue eyes.

            “We’re under attack,” he said tightly. He lunged toward the bed, toward the bag, and yanked it toward him. Quickly he began to dig through it while I was left staring at the back of his head.

            “Under attack? Why? How? By who?”

            I had so many questions. Why would be under attack? Here? Hadn’t Bane said there were-

            “Innocent children,” I said, swallowing thickly. “Are they okay?”

            Kieron shot me a look. “They’re hiding in the safe room.” He looked surprised I’d remember Bane’s words about them and that I was asking about their safety.

            “Why aren’t we hiding in the safe room?”

            Now he glared. “Don’t be a baby, human. It’s you they’re after anyway.” Now he paused and said almost as an afterthought, “And me.”

            “You?”

            “No time for questions - get your ass in gear. Once we leave, they should leave this place alone.”

            “Why are they after us? Who are they?”

            Another _boom!_ smacked into the building. Unlike last time, this time I could _feel_ it rumble all around me. I gasped and looked at Kieron.

            “What’s going on?”

            “They’re trying to break down the door.”

            “The door? That’s the second sound I’ve heard!”

            “It’s a very sturdy door.”

            I wasn’t sure what happened - the barest upward lilt of Kieron’s lips, the halfway joking tone of his voice, the look in his eyes or the situation altogether - but suddenly I was laughing.

            Laughing so hard it hurt.

            And it felt amazingly good to laugh.

            When I caught my breath and focused on the immortal again, Kieron was actually smiling.

            _Smiling_!

            I swallowed back my shock and laughter as I asked, “What are they hitting the door with?”

            “I’d say dynamite but I don’t think the door is _that_ sturdy. However I do think they’re ramming it with something nasty.”

            I nodded slowly. “Alright…so what do we do?”

            “We lead them away from here.”

            I stared now. “Excuse me? We? Lead them? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but they’re doing _something_ to that ‘very sturdy door’, and what makes you think they’re not going to do the same _something_ to us?”

            He rolled his eyes and sneered at me. Gone was the smile and hint of laughter in his eyes. Maybe I’d just imagined it. Yeah, I must have. Mister Doom and Gloom didn’t laugh. Or smile. Or _anything_.

            “Don’t be a baby,” he told me again. “Or do you doubt me?”

            “Is that trick question? Because I totally doubt you,” I told him simply. “You’re crazy and I guess _immortal_ , so, yeah, I doubt you!”

            “Well, it doesn’t matter what you think, and we need to go because those _innocent children_ won’t be safe for too long.”

            Damn. He was right.

            I sighed and nodded. “Fine. You _do_ have a plan, right? Of how to get out of here _alive_? I mean, yeah, you’re freakin’ _immortal_ and all that jazz, like a zombie, but I’m not exactly _durable_.”

            He snickered. “You most certainly are not,” he agreed before he tossed the bag over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”

            We stepped out of the room.

            And into chaos.

            I’d never seen so many people in one hallway in my life…and they were all running. In a frenzy.

            Without thinking, I stopped and stared.

            “What…?” I whispered.

            “They’re preparing for battle,” Kieron said, snagging my arm and tugging me along. “Which is why we need to lead them away. These are peaceful people - they won’t last long in a fight against them.”

            “Them? Them who?”

            I realized he’d never answered _who_ was attacking us.

            He narrowed his eyes at me. “Who do you think?” he asked impatiently.

            I just blinked stupidly.

            “Screamers,” he snapped like I was an idiot.

            Well, sorry, but it wasn’t like I’d asked for any - wait, screamers? A shiver crawled down my spine. Screamers. Plural. As in more than one and that one in the trees had been bad enough. Now it was multiple screamers…

            Hammering at the door.

            Trying to break in.

            They would succeed…

            And I was their target.

            “Get your lazy ass in gear,” Kieron hissed and I realized I was dragging my feet, lost in thought. Screamers were filling my mind. Green blood. Vicious. Sharp claws like Kieron’s but yet not. Horrible growls and snarls. “Human!”

            I snapped out of my daze. “Sorry,” I mumbled. “How are we going to get out of here alive?”

            I left out how he was immortal and couldn’t die. We both knew that already.

            What I meant was _how are we going to get out of here with me alive?_

            Of course, he probably wouldn’t care either way. He seemed to only care about the innocent children and these _peaceful_ people.

            It as touching as it was shocking. I’d had him pegged for an uncaring asshole but look at me, proven wrong. La-de-da, he cared for innocent children and peaceful people.

            I wasn’t either. Go figure.

            I was peaceful enough, I guess, but I wasn’t innocent. And I wasn’t a child.

            I was just _me_. Used, not innocent, dirty me.

            For the first time in years, I felt shame for myself rush through me and redden my ears.

            “I don’t know what you’re thinking,” the immortal growled at me, “but you need to stop it and focus because I’m not dragging you anywhere!”

            I sighed and shoved my thoughts away, focusing on Kieron’s angry face. “Sorry,” I said again. “How are we gonna-”

            “I’m working on it,” he cut me off sharply.

            What could I do? Nothing. So I nodded and accepted I was in over my head and it was all up to him. I knew nothing of this place, of _anything_ here in freaking _Atlantis_ or Ethereal as they called it, and I sure as hell knew nothing about screamers or immortals.

            Or Etherians, as I’d heard them dubbed.

            I just had to sit back and let Kieron lead where we went. Again. Like in the trees.

            Except this time I hoped I wouldn’t stagger behind him like a lost puppy.

            And I _had_ to keep up because I knew I wouldn’t win against _one_ screamer, let alone multiple ones.

            He led me down a few hallways, then abruptly stopped. “Here,” he said.

            “What?”

            “There’s a secret door through this room.” He twisted the knob and pushed the door open. Darkness greeted us but he didn’t bother to turn the light on. I sighed and stepped in after him.

            He edged toward the far wall, bending down to touch the ground with his fingers. He lifted up an edge of the carpet and hit something. A space in the far wall opened up before us, a hidden doorway to escape. Darkness and trees greeted us again and I sighed.

            _Back to the trees, then_ , I thought to myself. _Great._

            We exited the room and the door closed behind us like it had never been there to begin with. I could just make out Kieron’s outline ahead of me, and his blue hair.

            Kieron halted in the nearby bushes. He turned to face me and narrowed his eyes. Looked at me long and hard. Debating. Calculating. _Annoyed_.

            “What?” I barked, glaring at him. I hadn’t even done anything and he was looking at me like I’d punched a puppy in the face.

            He sighed, reserved. “They’re going to track your smell.”

            “Creepy. And?” That was no reason to glare at me! This was his idea in the first place. Not mine.

            “Well, clearly, they’ll catch you and you’ll die.”

            “Lovely insight,” I drawled. “What do you care?” He wanted me dead anyway. No skin of his back if I was caught and killed. Why he had helped me elude the screamers thus far was beyond me.

            Not like I was ever told anything. I was just a _human_ , after all.

            His eyes narrowed further, into slits I could barely make out but I knew he was glaring at me. It was all he ever did.

            “Well,” he started slowly, like I was an incompetent imbecile, “we’re going to have to trick them.”

            “How?”

            “Clearly if they go after you, you’re dead.”

            “Agreed. And?”

            He shrugged. “If they go after _me_ …well. It might work.”

            “How would that work? I’m traveling with you, remember?” I glared through the darkness at his shaded figure.

            “Give me your clothes.”

            I stared at him now, mouth agape in shock. He did _not_ just ask for my clothes. As in _get naked_. Or basically naked because of that damn underwear I still had on. Oh, crap, the underwear! My ears burned with embarrassment as I thought about them.

            Showing up to John’s party with them had been awkward but I’d done it and I’d actually had a good time. Others had to. I mean, they’d used me, of course they had fun. I was a ‘good bottom’, as I’d been told many times.

            But that was John’s. This was in Atlantis.

            With Kieron.

            An immortal. Who hated me.

            A _male_ immortal.

            Who hated me.

            And was asking for my clothes.

            “No,” I hissed finally, once I’d gathered my thoughts enough to actually form words. I wasn’t sure what shocked me more - that he was actually asking for my clothes, that he sounded completely serious, or how, if I did give him my clothes, I would be in that stupid underwear.

            Unless he wanted that too.

            Then I’d be nude.

            In the trees.

Tripping over everything.

            I could picture burrs and branches snagging on my vulnerable flesh. Prickling. Burning. Scratching.

            I mentally shuddered and shoved those unpleasant thoughts away.

            Kieron now seemed annoyed. He stepped closer and his facial features became more pronounced. “Look, human, I could care less if you live or die, but that’s your choice. It’s either your clothes I’m using as bait, or you.” He folded his arms across his chest and looked me up and down. “Your choice.”

            I stared. He couldn’t be serious.

            “One.”

            Huh?

            “Two.”

            Crap, he was counting down. I swallowed.

            “Three.”

            “Fine!” I said before he could turn his back on me. “Fine, you can have my damn clothes. Just…” My face was burning. I wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like no one had ever seen me naked. Or in these underwear. But this seemed different, somehow. Maybe because I wasn’t with _humans_ and Kieron hated me. “Just don’t laugh.”

            If he already hated me…what did it matter if he saw?

            But I could hear a touch of amusement in his voice when he next spoke. “What do you have to hide? Aren’t you a male? You do have a dick, right?” He snickered. “It’s not like I’m asking you to strip _nude_ , jeez. Just lose the pants and shirt. I personally don’t want to travel with a naked man, sorry, that’s not my idea of a _good time_.” He glared now. “Lose the clothes, human. I’m getting impatient. Or would you rather me rip them off for you?”

            My heart sped up but I wasn’t sure why. So I, of course, ignored it and glared back at him. Slowly I took my shirt off. Tossed it to the side. He picked it up and wrinkled his nose.

            “You humans reek,” he muttered.

            “Like you’re a ray of freaking sunshine,” I murmured back. I unfastened my pants, took a breath, closed my eyes and slid the pants free of my hips. Down my legs they went. No laughing just yet. Maybe he hadn’t noticed. I was facing him, after all. He wouldn’t notice until he got behind me.

            But I was always following him, so maybe he didn’t have to know. He had spare clothes. I know he did. He’d asked Bane for some. I just needed to stay behind him for a bit and then I could put this whole situation behind me.

            Yeah, that sounded like a good plan.

            I stepped out of my jeans. Kicked them aside like the dirt on the ground. He snatched them up as well, wadded them into a ball, clutched them with one hand, and with his free one, he grabbed my arm.

            Led me into more bushes. A thicker patch.

            “Stay here,” he hissed, blue eyes boring into me. “And I mean it. If you want to live, you stay right where you are. Don’t move for _any reason_ unless I return. Got it?”

            He was staring at me. Waiting for a response. So I nodded to let him know I understood.

            He grunted, stood, spun on his heel and walked away, my clothes in hand.

            On my knees such as I was, hunched over to hide in the bushes, I was growing increasingly aware of the lack of the back of my underwear. A cool breeze tickled my ass, causing a thrill to crawl up my spine.

            These stupid underwear. How I wish I’d brought a spare to John’s!

            Now I was stuck with them until further notice, and the front was sticky. Hard.

            I knew why.

            It didn’t take a genius to know that, with my hands cuffed and me hunched over on the bed, guys ramming into me like I was a hole they had to win, I had been left to the torture of the front of the underwear. The very tight, very _scratchy_ front of the underwear which seemed to rub in well-deserved places…but not enough for that great _finish_ I had so desperately craved.

            Thus I had been left to empty my load all over the inside of the underwear. I’d cleaned them off as best I could before leaving John’s, but it hadn’t been excessively thorough because I hadn’t thought I’d be wearing them for so long.

            Would Kieron be able to see it?

            I wasn’t sure why I was thinking about this so much. It wasn’t like Kieron would give a damn what I wore or what was on them. For all I knew he could smell it. Had maybe smelled it since he’d thrown me out my window.

            The point was, he already hated me. It didn’t matter if he saw this stupid pair of underwear. I was obsessing about it but I wasn’t sure why. What was the point? There wasn’t one.

            With that, I managed to calm down some, though I still felt very self-conscious.

            Speaking of Kieron, how long had he been gone with my clothes? A minute? Five? Hours?

            I wondered if he was okay.

            Then I snorted because what the hell did I care? He was an ass. Not to mention an _immortal_ one, so he was fine. It wasn’t like he could die.

            Could he still feel pain? Hmm.

            I thought back to the screamer we’d faced before arriving at Bane’s. Kieron had been hit and had hit the ground, dazed, blood running down his face. Pain? I was sure he felt some, at least.

            Everyone felt pain, right?

            Suddenly I heard vicious snarls…loud ones. Like a scream. Shrill yet low and dangerous. I clamped my hands over my ears and clenched my eyes tightly closed, hoping they wouldn’t spot me. I wasn’t sure why they were hunting me or what they wanted with me, but I was sure it wasn’t good. As much as Kieron hated me, I thought I was better off with him than with those screamers.

            The snarls grew louder. Angry. _Searching_. I could practically _feel_ them getting closer.

            Then, abruptly, their growls grew further away. I opened my eyes. Kieron must have gotten their attention with my clothes, then.

            I wasn’t sure how long I crouched there. My legs were beginning to go numb but I didn’t dare move, even to sit down all the way and give my legs a break. For all I knew, there was a twig under me that I would snap and they’d find me. I’m not ashamed to say I was scared.

            I didn’t want to die. I didn’t know where I was and if I died here, no one would ever find me or know what happened to me. And I’d never get to say goodbye.

            Perhaps that was the worst. That and how my death would just be my disappearance to John, Tommy and them. Perhaps they would still be hopeful I’d turn up somewhere…and then I never would.

            A shiver crawled down my spine. Wrapped around me like a glacier’s breath in my veins. An unwanted cover I couldn’t shake off.

            Movement. To my left. Growing closer.

            I held my breath and hoped I wouldn’t be found. Kieron had my clothes - surely that would be enough, right? He would give them a chase, I was sure. And he couldn’t die, so I didn’t have to worry about that.

            Right?

            Unless they captured him or something. Then I was waiting here like an idiot.

            The sound of footsteps, soft as they were, grew closer. Toward my hideout.

            _This isn’t safe,_ I thought to myself. _I’m going to be found and killed._

            A hand reached out and snagged my wrist before I could react. I was hauled from the bushes and staggered as I came face-to-face to Kieron, who glared at me. “Quiet,” he hissed.

            I snapped my mouth shut and nodded. He didn’t look hurt. For all I knew, though, he could have been a fast healer, you know, being immortal and all.

            He held a finger to his lips and then gestured to his right. I nodded to let him know I understood, then he turned and started speed-walking in that direction. I followed behind him as close as I could without tripping over him.

            I didn’t ask where we were going.

            As long as it was away from the screamers, I didn’t care where we went, or even how far we walked.

            I just followed him in silence.


	10. 100% Sure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Immortals get hurt. Go figure.

Chapter Ten: 100% Sure

 

 

 

I wasn’t sure how long we kept moving, but once we finally stopped I realized I couldn’t feel my legs anymore. That had to mean we were pretty well away from Bane’s and those screamers. As I sat my tired ass on the ground - I know, dirt-covered ground and me without a back to my stupid underwear - I glanced briefly at Kieron, who stood in the middle of the small clearing, a thoughtful expression on his face.

            “Did you lead them away?” I asked, simply because we hadn’t talked about it.

            “I believe so, yes.”

            I nodded. “Can I have some clothes?” Being nearly nude in a strange world with a guy who hated me wasn’t my idea of _fun_. In fact I hated it.

            He tossed the bag toward me. “Knock yourself out, human.”

            I didn’t bother correcting him this time. Instead I just rifled through the bag and pulled out a pair of pants much like Kieron’s except a dark blue color, and tugged them on while Kieron was looking away, toward the trees. Good, I didn’t need him seeing the back of my backless underwear.

            He probably already had but he hadn’t said anything yet and I wasn’t going to risk it.

            I also pulled out a light red shirt made of a fabric I didn’t recognize, but it was warm and soft as I slid it on.

            “Where are we gonna go?” I asked as I sat back down on the ground, my legs still throbbing from moving so damn much and staggering over every damn root in existence.

            “Ashere’s,” he said. “His place is the closest.”

            “Ashere?” I could recall Bane saying something about him. “Who’s he?”

            “A friend.”

            I shrugged. If he didn’t want to tell me, that was his business. It was just Kieron didn’t seem like he’d actually willingly label _anyone_ as his friend. Bane was his friend, sure, but did Kieron actually think of him that way? Hmm.

            “How much further?”

            Kieron scrubbed a hand across his face. “Too much.” He sounded frustrated.

            Hmm, another emotion from him except anger. Le gasp!

            “What do you mean?” I asked, feeling uneasy.

            Not to mention hungry. How long had it been since I’d eaten? I dug through the bag again while waiting for his answer.

            “With the screamers hot on our trail, I don’t know if we’ll make it. He’s still a good two days away.”

            “Two days? And why wouldn’t we make it?”

            He’d led them away, right?

            “I tricked them with your clothes but that won’t last long. They’re kinda stupid but they’re fast and thorough. They’ll be on our trail soon enough. They probably already are.”

            I swallowed thickly. “So what do we do?”

            “I’m thinking.”

            “About what? What are we gonna do?”

            He shrugged. “Dunno yet but I’ll figure something out.”

            For some reason, I believed he _would_ figure something out. I wasn’t sure where this faith was coming from, but so far, he hadn’t exactly ‘let me down’. He’d tossed me down, sure, but he hadn’t _let_ me down. And from what I could tell, he was actually _trying_ to protect me even though he claimed to hate me. So, if he said he’d figure something out, I actually believed him.

            So I let it be and tugged out a container from the bag. I recognized it as that stuff we’d eaten before…what was it called again? Ah, yes, rhine. It was called rhine. Weird name but whatever.

            Only one half was left. Sighing, I broke it in two and tossed one toward Kieron. He hadn’t even been looking at me but he caught it with ease. Super speedy reflexes, then. Of course.

            Make him all the more deadly.

            I bit into my rhine and chewed.

 

 

“Faster,” Kieron snarled at me, tossing me in front of him. I staggered and managed to catch my footing as I kept running. “Faster!”

            Why was he yelling at _me_ to go faster when he was the one behind me? I growled and pumped my legs as fast they could go.

            Inhuman, vicious snarls sounded from somewhere behind us. Closing in.

            The screamers had found us shortly after sundown. Apparently, unlike Kieron, they didn’t care whether it was night or day, they just kept moving.

            And thus we’d been running.

            For how long, I didn’t know, but I was panting so much it was hard to breathe and my lungs and sides were aching. I wasn’t sure how much more of this I could take.

            “Keep going,” Kieron hissed like I was actually going to _stop_. “Turn here!”

            “Turn?” I breathed with a gasp as Kieron’s hands closed around my arm and shoved me toward the right, in the direction he wanted me to go. Why right?

            “Faster, human, faster!”

            “I’m _trying_!” I huffed back. If he wanted to run so damn fast why was he freaking _behind_ me?

            The air shifted around me. Glowed. _Fractured_. Like tiny shards of reality around me. I gasped and tried to stop, unsure of what was happening, but Kieron ran into me and shoved me forward.

            “Keep _moving_!” he snapped angrily. “Through the gateway!”

            “Gateway?” I couldn’t help but ask as I stumbled into the shimmering air. It was like it was there but yet _not_. It shimmered and when it blinked away, I saw some other place. With rundown buildings. And then as soon as it came the picture dispersed with another shimmer and suddenly I was looking back at the trees around me. This kept happening, jumping back and forth between buildings and trees.

            And we were running right into it.

            Suddenly I couldn’t hear Kieron behind me.

            I skidded to a halt and spun, looking for the blue-haired immortal. I spotted him a few yards back.

            “What are you doing?” I hissed. “C’mon!”

            He’d been all pissy about me not going _fast enough_ , and now he was _stopping_?

            He didn’t even looked back at me, facing the direction we’d come from, where the snarls were growing louder. “Go,” he hissed just loud enough for me to hear, his voice a rough whisper. “Keep going - through the gateway.”

            “Are you crazy? C’mon!” I trudged back to get him.

            He shoved away from me angrily. “Just _go!_ Someone has to hold them off and it sure as hell isn’t gonna be you!”

            I glared at him. “You do realize there’s more than _one_ of them, right? And they’ll _kill you_?”

            He gave a bitter laugh. “I’m immortal, human. I don’t get to die.” Then he shoved me away and I staggered.

            The world changed around me, the air grew tight and thick and-

            As suddenly as it started, it stopped. I tripped and landed on my ass as I looked around. I was in a deserted building. Dust covered the walls, the floor, the air…and it was dark save for the faint light seeping in through the windows.

            Of course, that wasn’t really a problem. I’d been living in the dark for a few days now. My eyes were already adjusted.

            I looked around. I was alone.

            And it was quiet.

            “Kieron?” I murmured as I climbed to my feet. “Hello? Kieron?”

            No one answered.

            It was just me, myself, and I.

            I didn’t know where I was or how or why. All I knew was I still had the bag with the clothes and food and Kieron was nowhere in sight.

            Neither was that shimmering I’d seen before.

            Just darkness.

            “Kieron!”

            My voice echoed through the empty area around me. A chill wind slid around me causing me to shiver. I wasn’t necessarily sure where it was coming from but probably from either the foundation or broken windows. It was an abandoned building, after all. Cities never really took care of them once they were abandoned…unless they got around to tearing them down.

            I heard something like a whir and spun around to find reality shimmering again, splintering, fracturing and something was coming through it. I saw a dark shape drop out and collide with the ground.

            I recognized them and felt a surge of relief shoot through me.

            “Kieron!” I darted toward him as he staggered to his feet. Something wasn’t right. No, something was wrong, I just - “Kieron?”

            He was pale. No surprised, really, but he seemed paler than usual. I could count the freckles on his face when I hadn’t really even noticed them before. He staggered, stumbled over his feet and leaned against a wall, wincing.

            “Kieron?” I stepped closer. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

            He wasn’t okay, I knew that, I just didn’t know what was wrong or how I could help. He was an immortal, right? Could he really get _hurt_? I mean, hurt _hurt_? Sure, he’d been hurt before when that screamer had slammed him into a tree, but…he’d been fine. This seemed different and it was putting a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

            “ ‘m fine,” Kieron told me.

            It wasn’t convincing with the way he had his hand clutched to his side and leaned against the wall, his head tilting to the side to rest against the dusty, cool surface.

            “You’re not,” I said to him. “Why don’t you sit down?”

            I grabbed his arm. Tugged down.

            He dropped down without a fight, which I hadn’t been expecting. How hurt was he, exactly?

            _Why are you worrying? It’s not like he can die,_ my mind told me.

            “Kieron? Let me see your side.” I moved to pry his hand away but he shoved me away with his free hand. “I need to see the wound.”

            “Told you already, ‘s fine. ‘m fine.”

            I rolled his eyes. “You’re clearly _not_ , now would you hold still and let me at least _look_ at it?”

            Again, he gave in without much of a fight.

            Shocking.

            I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would. I mean, he’d been fighting me the whole way so far, so doing things without a fight was great, right? Except it wasn’t. Because I felt like he _should_ have been fighting me, especially now when he was hurt, but he wasn’t.

            I pried his hand away and grimaced. “It’s pretty bad,” I murmured, because it was. There was a long, jagged gash in - no, there were _four_ jagged gashes in his side. A screamer’s sharp claws, maybe? The incisions were deep and blood was spilling out of him too quick for comfort.

            Even for an immortal.

            Was he a hundred percent _positive_ he couldn’t die? Because if he were a normal person, I’d probably be looking at a corpse right about now.

            As it was, he was still leaning against the wall, this time his back against it and his head tilted back and to the side somewhat, his eyes closed and his face pale. If it weren’t for the shallow pants and the blood pooling around him, soaking his shirt and pants and now my knees since I was kneeling next to him, I might have thought him dead.

            But immortals were, well, immortal. They didn’t die.

            Couldn’t die.

            So I didn’t know what to do.

            I placed my hands over the wounds and applied pressure. It was hard, though, because even if I held my hands side by side, I still couldn’t cover the wound completely. And Kieron was looking worse.

            “Kieron?” I asked, because despite the ass he’d been, I could feel my heart tightening in fear.

            Hating the guy was one thing.

            Him hating me was another.

            But having him die on me…even if he did _claim_ to be an immortal…

            Well. It didn’t seem possible.

            “Kieron? Hey, c’mon, wake up. Stay awake.” I glared at him. “Kieron.”

            His eyelids twitched. “Jus’ gotta sleep.”

            “No, you don’t. Open your-”

            “Human…”

            “Kieron, I mean it, you-”

            “Terry…calm the fuck down…not gonna die.”

            I wasn’t sure why but suddenly I was smiling. He’d called me by my name, finally! Huzzah!

            And he sounded more like himself…with the cursing and everything. And he said he wasn’t going to die. Like before, that faith I felt still shocked me but I believed him.

            Still, I didn’t take my hands off his side.

            “What can I, um…do to help?” I asked, uncertain.

            “Just…shut up and…let me sleep.”

            “Won’t you like…I dunno, bleed out or something?”

            He opened his eyes and gave me a harsh look, which, in his weakened condition, was quite a feat. “I’m immortal.”

            “I get that.”

            “I don’t die.”

            “Uh huh.”

            “Just…go to sleep or something. We’ll stay here…until tomorrow night.”

            I sighed. “Where are we?”

            “Just…outside your town…” he murmured, his eyes falling closed again. He seemed exhausted.

            But then, I supposed healing did drain energy.

            Not to mention the blood loss.

            “Outside my town?” Had I heard him right? “ _My_ town? My town with my _apartment_? Where I _live_?”

            “Are you deaf? Yes.”

            I almost jumped for joy. Almost.

            I was home! Finally!

            Why hadn’t he just brought me here in the first place? I scowled and glared at him, ready to say something, but from the way his head was lolled to the side and gentle rise and fall of his chest, I knew he was already asleep.

            Good. Sleep was healing, right?

            Gah! Why did I care? I didn’t. Nope. Not at all.

            In fact, I was out of here.

            I dropped the bag by Kieron and turned to find a way out of this damn building.

            I was going home.

 

 

 

My apartment had never looked so great!

            I barged in without having to unlock the door - Kieron hadn’t bothered to lock it before throwing me out the window - and looked around with a smile on face. It was so wide I thought my face was going to break but I couldn’t stop smiling.

            I was home. Home!

            Finally!

            I entered the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. Ah, that felt great. Very refreshing as it slid down my throat. I hadn’t realized quite how thirsty I was until then.

            Next I moved toward my phone and checked my messages. Surely I had some, right? I mean, I’d been gone for days!

            _You have 15 new messages_ , my answering service told me.

            Wow. That was a lot.

            I pressed the button to hear them.

            _“Hey, Terry, just wanted to check in, see if you got home okay. Don’t forget about our deal. Call me.”_ John.

            _“Hello, we are calling regarding your-_ ”

            Click. Delete. Nope, not listening to those annoying people calling about phone plans, deals, and anything and everything else. I was happy the way I was and with what I head.

            Even more so now that I was actually back _home_.

            _“Hey, Terry, when do you want me to drop my laptop by? Give me a call.”_ Tommy.

            _“Aww, c’mon, you’re not still pissed, are you? It was just surprise sex! C’mon. Pick up. Fine, don’t pick up. But call me, yeah?”_ Rufus.

            _“Terry, is everything okay?”_ John.

            _“Terry? Are you there? How are you?”_ Tommy.

            _“You’re really still pissed? Call me.”_ Rufus.

            _“Yo, Terry, there’s a party tonight if you wanna go, just a few friends.”_ Alex, one of my other friends.

            _“This is getting ridiculous. Are you okay? I’m coming over.”_ John.

            _“Where are you?”_ John.

            _“Are you busy or something? Terry? Call me.”_ Tommy.

            _“Hello, we’d like to talk to you about-”_

            Click. Delete. Move on.

            _“C’mon, you can’t still be pissed. Where are you? You’re not even home?”_ Rufus.

            _“Seriously, Terry, where are you? You’re kinda freaking me out, man. Did you make it home okay? Is everything okay? Call me back.”_ John.

            _“I’m about to call the cops, man. Pick up the damn phone.”_ John.

            _End of messages._

            I breathed a heavy sigh. Wow. That was a lot of messages, more than I would have expected. My friends did care - they were awesome. They’d stopped by and everything. And here I’d wondered if anyone had been missing me!

            I wanted to call them all back right now, but I was tired. I’d been running for who knew how long, I had blood on my hands, and I wanted to get these stupid underwear off.

            A shower was in order.

            Oh, God, yes, a shower!

            I stripped quickly and ran to my shower.

            The hot water felt great on my sore muscles. I scrubbed the blood away before I did anything else. My skin felt raw by the time the blood finally washed away. Next I shampooed my hair and scrubbed my fingers against my scalp. It felt good to shower, yes it did.

            After spending more time in the shower than I really needed, I shut the water off and stepped out.

            I didn’t even bother dressing.

            I just dove into my bed, slid under the covers, and was a sleep well before my head hit the pillow.

            Finally, I was home.

 

 

 

I almost didn’t go back.

            I almost wanted to _forget_ Kieron and everything that had happened. It was just a weird hallucination, right? I’d never really _gone_ anywhere. I’d just been dreaming.

            But the messages, the clothes, the blood…it was all a reminder of how real it was.

            And despite the immortal’s attitude toward me, I couldn’t in good conscience leave him alone like that.

            At least this time I had my car, though.

            By the time I drove to the abandoned building it was sunset. I’d slept most of the day, exhausted, and had gotten up only an hour ago to eat and then I’d come here. I still hadn’t had a chance to call my friends and my brother back, but I’d get around to it.

            Honestly I knew I was in for a good chewing out because I didn’t really have an _excuse_ to have been gone for so long. I mean, it wasn’t like they were going to _believe_ me if I told them a blue-haired immortal had crashed into my life and had taken me to freaking _Atlantis_. Nope. That sounded _completely_ insane.

            And it was. Completely.

            So I’d have to think of something to explain my absence, but right now, I was shoving the door open to the abandoned building and squinting through the darkness which greeted me. It was a lot darker in here than it was outside. Having been in my apartment with actual _lights_ , I wasn’t really used to the dark anymore. It took my eyes a minute or so to adjust.

            “Kieron?” I called out into the darkness.

            I shuffled toward where I’d left him. All I found was a bloody spot on the floor and wall - a pool and smears of dried blood.

            But no Kieron.

            “Kieron? Are you here? Hello?”

            Had he left? He’d left me? And here I’d had the decency to come back for him!

            Of course, why wouldn’t he leave me? I was home. He wasn’t. He hated me, I hated him, and at least this way I didn’t have to put up with him anymore.

            Still, though…a part of me felt…I don’t know… _dismayed_ by his absence. I wasn’t sure why. I mean it wasn’t like I liked the guy. He was an ass!

            So why was I…

            Holy shit, there was no way I was actually _missing_ him.

            Nope. None.

            “Human.”

            That voice startled me and I spun to find Kieron emerging from the shadows, his eyes narrowed into small slits. Over his shoulder was the bag. I glanced him over. He’d changed his clothes and there wasn’t a drop of blood in sight. Except, you know, on the walls and floor over there, but…not on him.

            “You’re okay,” I said, feeling more relieved than I probably should have.

            He shrugged. “You came back?” He seemed surprised.

            “Yeah, well, I, um…I mean, I didn’t want to just leave you here while you were hurt.”

            “I’m fine.”

            “Sure. _Now_.”

            He rolled his eyes then paused, shifting uneasily. “You, um…didn’t have to come back.”

            I shrugged. “Yeah, well, I can’t just have a blue-haired man traveling the streets, now can I?”

            “It’s not like they can actually _see_ the blue hair, you know.”

            “Yeah…why is that?”

            He shrugged again. “It’s more of a cloaking, really.”

            “Cloaking?”

            “I mean…yeah. That’s probably the simplest term. When we come here we automatically switch to the norm. If blue hair was common here, then I’d be shown with my blue hair. But it’s not, so you see whatever it is you see. Probably brown, I’m guessing.”

            I shrugged. “So…you just come here and we, what? See you differently?”

            “It’s not that simple. It’s not just an illusion - our hair actually changes. I’m lucky. That’s all that changes.”

            “Why? What else could change?”

            He shook his head. “A lot could potentially change. But we don’t have time for that. It will take those screamers a bit to track down our exact location and manage to get here, but they’ll come eventually.”

            “So?”

            I was home. I didn’t care about any of that stuff anymore.

            He narrowed his eyes at me. “You do realize they’re still after you, right?”

            “Why, exactly, are they hell bent on hunting me?” I wanted to know. I was curious and no one had really answered me before, but Kieron seemed to be in an okay mood and he was answering my questions so far. Hopefully he’d answer this too.

            But he just shrugged. “A variety of reasons, the foremost being you can see me. Fangs, blue hair and all.”

            “Why does that matter? How do they know I can see you? I mean…you told me I could see you like _minutes_ before they arrived at my apartment. How could they know so fast?”

            “They have their ways. Enough questions - we need to get out of here.”

            I blinked. “We?”

            “Well, unless you _want_ to go against a screamer alone…”

            “No, no, I’m fine, I just…you said it would take them time to get here. And, well…c’mon. I don’t really need _protecting_ anymore.”

            “No?” He quirked a brow at me and before I knew it, he was charging forward, a wolfish snarl emerging from his lips as his teeth grew into sharp fangs with a wicked point. His eyes flashed, darkened, grew _dangerous_ , and his hair became longer as his face transformed somewhat.

            I staggered back but not quick enough. He slammed into me and knocked me to the ground like I was nothing. Pinning me there, his nails dug into my shoulders with their wicked sharpness.

            “Get off!” I snarled, struggling to knock him away but damn, he had quite a grip and refused to budge. I shoved him away somewhat but he just slammed my back more into the ground beneath me and I glared. “Get off!”

            He glared down at me with those animalistic eyes of his. “You think you can _protect yourself_ , huh? Don’t need my help? Listen, human, you can’t even protect yourself from _me_ , and those screamers are _way_ worse than me, you understand? They won’t hesitate. They won’t stop once they have you on the ground. They’ll rip you to _shreds_ before you even know what’s happening. And that’s if their in a _giving_ mood because they could make it last as long as they want.”

            With that, he released me and got to his feet, his face and features returning to normal. No matter how many times I saw that shift, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to it.

            Swallowing, I sat up and glared at the ground.

            “As much as you hate it, you need my help.”

            “Why are you helping me?”

            It was a question I wanted answered.

            “That’s not important right now. We need to get out of here. This is the first place they’ll look.”

            “Don’t evade the question. Why?”

            He turned his back on me and picked up the bag again. I hadn’t even realized he’d dropped it until now. “Let’s go.”

            I sighed and got to my feet, dusting my ass off as I did so.

            And then, together, we climbed into my car and pulled away from the building.


	11. Home but Not Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's good to be home. Right? ...Right...?

Chapter Eleven: Home but Not Alone

 

 

 

When I woke the next morning, I was almost able to forget anything had happened. I woke, slid out of bed, slipped on some comfortable clothes - sweatpants and a loose-fitting T-shirt - and walked toward the bathroom.

            But when I tried to open the door, it was locked. What a shock because I’d never had that problem with my own bathroom before…but reality smacked into me and I groaned aloud.

            That was right, I wasn’t alone.

            Freaking Kieron was here too.

            In my house. In my bathroom. Using _my_ shower.

            I could hear the water through the door. When I heard it, I hate to admit I felt a chill slip through me because the noise reminded me of Rufus and his ‘surprise sex’ gag. Sighing, I shoved the thoughts away, ran my fingers through my hair, and turned to head toward the kitchen.

            Breakfast. I needed breakfast.

            And not that Rhine stuff either.

            And let’s forget that it’s nine at night and the moon was high and the sun was gone. So technically it wasn’t breakfast, but it was to me. I wasn’t sure when I’d grown so used to our nightly schedule in those trees, but I was and now it was hard to break out of it and sleep at _night_ instead of the _day_.

            Freaking Kieron and his freaking weird sleep schedule.

            By the time I finished fixing me a bowl of cereal, Kieron was entering the kitchen.

            Oh my God.

            He looked…

            Different.

            And…

            His hair was disheveled of course, still damp with water, but it seemed more… _blue_ than I remembered. Darker but yet…not? If that made any sense? On anyone else it would have looked unruly but on him, it…actually looked nice. Like it fit him. And it did.

            His clothes - some light gray shirt made out of some fabric I didn’t recognize, and a pair of black pants pretty much identical to the ones he’d been wearing, except now I couldn’t see the stitching on the sides - were clinging to him due to how he was probably still a bit wet from the shower. In the light, his eyes, as blue as his hair if not more so, gleamed as he looked around the room.

            God help me, he looked _hot_.

            “What’s that?” he asked, glancing at my bowl of cereal.

            Ack! My cereal! Here he’d come in, looking all…all _not_ unattractive, and I’d forgotten about my food. Now it was probably going to be all soggy.

            “It’s cereal,” I grumbled to him.

            “Oh.”

            He looked confused. Had he never had it before, or something? Did they not have cereal in Ethereal?

            “Want some?” I offered, shaking the box at him. It was just Cheerios, but hey, it was food. And I was happy to have normal food again, even if it was just cereal.

            He shook his head. “Not hungry.”

            Hmm. Okay then.

            “What’s up?” I asked as I munched on my cereal. I didn’t want it to get _too_ soggy, after all. Plus he’d said he didn’t want any, so - his loss!

            He shrugged, sat on the edge of the table, and released a slow breath. I opened my mouth to tell him about, you know, _manners_ and how you weren’t supposed to sit on the table, but I simply snapped my mouth shut when he averted his gaze.

            Was this uncertainty I was seeing? From him? Kieron?

            I almost laughed aloud.

            But then I would have choked on my cereal, so I gracefully kept it in.

            At least for now, until I was done eating.

            “So?” I prompted around another mouthful.

            He grimaced at me. “Chew your food, don’t show it.”

            I rolled my eyes.

            “And I’m just not sure how safe it is here.”

            I frowned. “Kieron…don’t take this the wrong way…but you don’t seem to think _anywhere_ is safe.”

            Sad but true. Something I’d noticed with him.

            “No - I just don’t think anywhere’s safe with _you_.”

            “Huh?”

            “You can see me and that in and of itself is a danger. The screamers are onto you and hell, that’s just scary. Add to the fact that I don’t know _why_ you can see me, why I’m even _bothering_ with you…” Kieron shook his head tiredly and brushed aside a few of his blue strands, which had slipped into his face. “It’s just not safe, okay?” This he directed at me with narrowed eyes.

            I rolled my eyes. “Well, it’s not a walk in the park for me either, buddy. I’ve got to deal with your sorry, mopey ass and get insulted at every turn simply because you can’t stand me but yet you’re here anyway, and I don’t know what to do to _get rid of you_.” I glared at him angrily as I stood, tossed my bowl into the sink, and walked from the room.

            Jerk!

 

 

 

Okay, right. Phone call time.

            I took in a deep breath and dialed in a number. I wasn’t sure which number I’d dialed until it rang a few times and a familiar voice answered, “Hello?”

            Relief flowed through me, a familiar calm settling over my heart because it felt like I was finally _home_. “John, hey,” I said sheepishly. “So, um…I-”

            “ _Terry?_ ” he asked like he couldn’t believe it. “Terry, is that you?”

            “Err, yeah, it’s me. Who else would it be?”

            “Terry, _damn it_ , where the _hell_ have you _been_!”

            Now he sounded angry. Crap.

            “Uh, well, it’s kinda a long story…” So long I didn’t even know where to begin. What could I say that wouldn’t make him think I was crazy? Sure, I could show him Kieron but he wouldn’t actually _see_ him. Not the real him, anyway - not the guy with the blue hair and blue eyes and full lips and-

            Crap. Crap, crap, crap!

            “Stop it,” I told myself. I had to _stop_ thinking like that because Kieron was a jerk and he certainly was _not_ hot or anything even remotely _close_.

            “What?” John sounded worried now. “Are you okay, Terry?”

            “I’m fine,” I assured him. “I just, uh…it’s been a long week.”

            “Where have you been? I’ve been calling! So has your brother, and - where were you?”

            Where was I.

            Where was I.

            Where? Oh, you know, just Atlantis, you should _really_ visit sometime.

            Oh, please. Like I could tell him anything about any of that.

            “Err…it’s complicated,” I told him truthfully. Too complicated for me to explain. And Kieron would be back soon.

            He’d gone out to check the perimeter, whatever the hell that meant. He was paranoid.

            But he’d be back soon and I needed to be done with the phone by then because if he found out I was actually considering telling people…well, I was sure it wouldn’t go over well.

            “Well, un-complicate it,” John growled. “Do you know how fucking _close_ I was to calling the _police_?”

            I flinched because, yeah, he’d mentioned that in the messages. I was a crappy friend. “Sorry,” I murmured. “I really am. I…can’t say why I’ve been gone. I just…I’m back now.”

            “I can see that. Where were you?”

            “I can’t say.”

            “Can’t or won’t?”

            Ah, damn it, John. Why couldn’t he just accept the fact it was _complicated_?

            “Maybe both,” I admitted. I didn’t want to lie to him more than I had to. Was it really lying when you didn’t _lie_ exactly, but you didn’t say the whole truth?

            “Both,” John echoed flatly. “Both? Terry, what the hell? I’m your friend!”

            “I know.”

            “So fucking tell me!”

            “I, um…I can’t. It’s complicated. Please, just…leave it at that. I’m back now, okay? And I’m fine. I swear.”

            There was a long pause. I could John breathing so I knew he was still there, but he wasn’t saying anything.

            “John?”

            “I’m here,” he said unnecessarily. “I’m glad you’re back.”

            “Yeah,” I sighed, “me too.”

            I heard the front door opening. Footsteps.

            “Uh, gotta go!” I said quickly before I hung up the phone and turned to find Kieron entering the kitchen. “Hi!” Errgh, could you tell how guilty I felt?

            I didn’t like having to sneak around and have phone calls, but Kieron really wasn’t giving me much choice.

            He eyed me shrewdly. “Hi,” he said, his voice guarded and slow. “What’d you do?”

            “Huh?”

            “You’re obviously hiding something. Spill.”

            I shook my head. “It’s nothing. How was your walk?”

            He shrugged. “They haven’t seemed to have found us yet.”

            “Ah, good, good. So, um…how long are you here?”

            You and not we. Because I was staying here. Where I lived. Where I _wanted_ to be. Not in Atlantis with an annoying immortal who, damn it, actually looked good in my clothes.

            Yeah, mine. We’d been here for two days now and since we were on my turf and not his, I loaned him some clothes. He filled them out better than I could, but the clothes weren’t exactly _snug_ on him, more loose-fitting but at least now I could see his figure. I mean, in his other clothes, they’d been too baggy, too soft and - but not now.

            Why was I thinking of this crap? Gah!

            I quickly looked away from him. Waited for an answer.

            “Dunno,” he finally replied. “But it’s almost dawn and I’m tired.”

            I nodded and gestured at the couch. I really needed to get a guest room or something. His covers from the past two nights were still out, as was his pillow.

            He slid onto the couch cushions and began pulling off his shirt.

            Gah! Did he have no shame?

            Right. Of course not.

            “Night,” I muttered as I stepped away from him, flipped off the lights in the living room and kitchen, and then proceeded down the hall toward my room.

            Behind me, as a quiet murmur, I heard him say “night” in response.

 

 

Thunder clapped in the distance. I blinked my eyes open to find it dark in my room. Oh, great. Night then. I really needed to break this stupid sleep schedule. I couldn’t be like this forever. I had work to do.

            Unlike a lot of people, I worked at home. I say a lot of people because John gripes about me never having to get up early, and so does Tommy.

            Speaking of work, how long had it been? Thankfully I’d completed this month’s work in advance so I didn’t have to worry about it right now, but I wanted to get a good start on next month’s workload so I didn’t have to worry about it…like, say, if I were to disappear again.

            I wouldn’t – at least that was what I told myself. There was no way I was leaving again, not for anything. I was finally home. If Kieron was so worried about the screamers coming, he could always avert their trail like last time, or actually fight them and kill them, because, as he kept saying, he was _immortal_. I didn’t think they were otherwise he wouldn’t fight them – right?

            What did I care? He was a jerk. It didn’t matter either way.

            The phone was ringing. I could hear it faintly over the roar of the wind against my window, the patter of rain slamming into the glass. A storm, then. Great.

            I crawled out of bed and edged out of my room. Kieron was standing at the end of the hall, looking uncertain. Right, of course - an immortal who didn’t know what a phone was. Great. I thought Atlantis was supposed to be more innovative than us mere humans? Hmm.

            I walked past him and snagged the phone, bringing it to my ear. “Hello?”

            What the hell time was it?

            I looked at the digital clock above the stove.

            8:03. In the evening. Great.

            “Terry?”

            I paused. “Rufus?” I asked, just to be sure.

            “Are you okay?” he asked instead of answering.

            “I’m fine,” I said with a scowl. “Sorry I’ve been gone and haven’t called back…I only got home about like two days ago or so, so…yeah.”

            I could hear Kieron moving behind me. What he was doing, I didn’t know and didn’t care to know.

            “Oh,” Rufus said quietly.

            “Sorry,” I said again. “How are you?”

            “I’m fine. You?”

            “I’m good.” To put it simply, I was fine. Maybe a little crazy, but fine.

            Ish.

            “Do you mind if I stop by tonight?”

            Hmm, odd. Usually he didn’t ask, he just showed up and…well. ‘Surprise sex’. Grr.

            “Err, tonight’s not a good night,” I said, remembering Kieron and the screamers and…yeah. Tonight wasn’t good. I wasn’t sure _when_ would be good, but…tonight wasn’t.

            “Oh…okay.”

            “I’ll call you though, okay?”

            “Yeah, alright.”

            “Alright…I have to go. See you soon?”

            “Sure. Night, Terry.”

            Night, he says. No more sleep! I was awake, even though sleep probably would have straightened out my schedule.

            “Night,” I said in return, and then hung up the phone.

            Not exactly the best conversation in the world, but whatever. I’d talked to both John and Rufus. All that was left was Tommy. And some of my other friends if they called, but I was pretty sure John would have told everyone by now.

            Ah, home. I was so happy to be home.

            “I’ll be back.”

            I stiffened and spun, not realizing until now that Kieron had actually been changing his clothes, not just moving around. Now he was dressed in a snug (but not too tight) blue shirt and dark jeans from my closet. His blue hair was tossed to the side unevenly. He blew it out of his face.

            “Alright,” I muttered. “Where are you going?”

            “Check the area,” he replied.

            I nodded and watched as he disappeared. A moment later the front door opened and closed.

 

 

“Anything?” I asked upon Kieron’s return. He just shrugged and ambled toward the couch, where he sat with a sigh. I was sitting across from him, in the armchair. It was an old armchair, quite beaten up and worn, but it was comfortable and I’d gotten it for a cheap price. So what if it didn’t match my living room?

            “Not really,” Kieron finally said. “They haven’t found us yet.”

            “Good. I ordered a pizza. It’s on its way. And tomorrow I’m going grocery shopping, I don’t care what you say - I need food.”

            Kieron rolled his eyes. “Whatever, human.”

            I watched him, curious. “Aren’t you going to ask what pizza is?”

            He gave me a narrow look. “I know what pizza is. What, you think I live under a rock? This isn’t my first time here, you know.”

            “It isn’t?” Hmm, odd. He’d never mentioned this before.

            He shrugged and got to his feet, clearly ending the subject there. “I’m gonna shower.”

            “Fine. Don’t use all the hot water.”

            After rolling his eyes at me again, he disappeared down the hallway.

            I sighed and leaned back in the armchair to peer at the ceiling. What was my life becoming these days? Screamers, blue-haired immortals, Atlantis…none of it seemed real even though I knew it was. It was just still having a hard time sinking in.

            Not his first time here? What did that mean? Had he come here before? Why?

            He seemed to hate humans. Why would he be around them if he didn’t have to?

            Which begged the question: If he hated humans and he hated me, why the hell was in my apartment with me?

            Damn confusing immortal. Pfft.

            About ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door. My mouth salivating at the thought of pizza, I jumped up and ran for the door.

            Two seconds later, I found myself on the ground with a growling form on top of me, pinning me down on my stomach. Fear set in until I recognized the growling voice.

            “Kieron! What the hell?” I snapped. “Get off!”

            “Human, stay down,” Kieron growled back before he finally got off me. I rolled over, sat up and glared at him.

            “What the fuck? I just want to get the pizza! I’m not going anywhere, okay?”

            Was he seriously that worried about me leaving?

            “There’s a screamer out there.”

            Oh, of course, it was - wait, what?

            “A screamer?” I whispered, feeling my heart begin to race in my chest. “Are you sure?”

            “No, my head’s on fire for some _other_ reason,” he snapped. “Of course I’m sure! Now if you don’t want to die, you’ll run to the bathroom and lock yourself inside. Barricade the door.”

            “The bathroom?”

            “You don’t have a window in there,” he explained. “Now go!”

            With a harsh shove, I was staggering away from the door. I spun and ran down the hallway, toward the bathroom. Slamming the door shut and twisting the lock, I looked around for anything that would move and block the door.

            Of course there was nothing. I didn’t have a lot of heavy, moveable objects in my bathroom. Just towels and whatnot.

            And with the way those screamers had tossed Kieron around, right into a _tree_ , I knew my door didn’t stand a chance.

            I was about to leave the room to find some things to use as a barricade when I heard wood splintering and a vicious snarl fill the air.

            When I next heard thumping, it didn’t take a genius to know that the screamer was inside and it and Kieron were probably breaking my furniture.

            Like a smart coward, I re-locked the door and stepped back.

            I just hoped Kieron knew what he was doing.


	12. A Little Compassion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because he makes you so mad sometimes, right? He's fine. Really.

Chapter Twelve: A Little Compassion

 

 

 

            Uh oh.

            _Bang._

            None of this was sounding good. They were obviously annihilating my living room, and possibly the kitchen as well. Of course, it wasn’t like I could complain seeing as how Kieron was _saving my life_. Protecting me. Again. But why? I didn’t understand!

            Why were the screamers after me? What was so special about _me_ that I was actually being _hunted_ and was stuck with an obnoxious immortal with freaky blue hair? Who the hell had I pissed off to be cursed with this crap?

            _Clank!_

            Whoa.

            That sounded close. Like, just down the hall. In the hallway, not the living room anymore. Instinctively, I stepped back until my legs bumped into the bathtub. I didn’t even dare to breathe as I heard movement in the hallway, just outside the bathroom door. Something growled, froze, and rammed into the bathroom door. I bit back my yelp of surprise and managed to stay still. At least the door was holding.

            For now.

            It wouldn’t for long, though.

            There was a harsh thud in the hallway, mixed with vicious, inhuman growls and the sound of claws against skin, ripping and tearing. I could hear it when those same claws collided with my bathroom door and the walls of the hallway on either side of the entrance.

            _I should help…but how?_

            I wanted to help. Kieron was an ass and he was protecting me. He wouldn’t go away until I could prove I was fine on my own…which meant I had to get out of this stupid bathroom and whoop some screamer ass.

            Yeah.

            Easier said than done.

            More snarls and thuds and-

            A window shattered somewhere. I panicked and looked around me even though I knew my bathroom had no windows. That was why Kieron had told me to go here in the first place.

            Growls, snarls, thuds and-

            Then suddenly, there was silence.

            Complete and utter silence. I wasn’t even breathing, afraid to shatter the moment, or miss an important sound while I was exhaling or inhaling.

            Finally, after a long moment, my feet took over for my brain and suddenly I was at the bathroom door. My hands skillfully unlocked it and pried it open without so much as a creak. I poked my head out into the hall.

            My hallway was a complete mess! Blood was smeared all over the walls - clearly not human blood because it wasn’t red. It was that color from before. But, upon second glance, I noticed some red smeared there too.

            Kieron was hurt.

            Again.

            “Kieron?” I murmured into the thick silence in the air. My mind was turning dizzy with the lack of response, the silence resonating around me. “Kieron? Kieron!”

            “Shut…up,” I heard Kieron huff, and I breathed out a sigh of relief.

            But where…?

            I followed the sound of the voice and found Kieron in my room, laying on the floor like a broken stuffed animal.

            His chest was pretty much ribbons. Well, at least, his shirt was. Well, _my_ shirt. He was on his side, half facing me, but he pushed himself over and wound up resting on his back. His blue eyes, far darker than they should have been, peered up at the ceiling. His blinks were too long.

            “Kieron!” I rushed to his side after I broke out of my shock, and dropped to my knees next to him. “Are you okay?”

            He gave me a look.

            Right. Stupid question.

            “How bad?” I changed it this time.

            He sighed. “Hurts,” he admitted slowly, and there was a faint slur in his words. His pupils were uneven and his blue hair was dark and matted down with blood.

            Without thinking, I reached a hand out and ran it through his hair, searching for the wound which was causing the blood. I wasn’t aware of what I was doing until my fingers were already skimming carefully over his scalp and my palm had pressed against his hair.

            I froze and blinked at him.

            He didn’t seem angry, surprisingly.

            I had expected him to be all, ‘My hair is too macho for you. Bwahaha’ on me, but…

            He just lay there. Watching me.

            I didn’t know what he was thinking, couldn’t read it on his face, but when his eyes started to close, I wondered if he even saw me at all, or knew what I was doing.

            I made my fingers move again, searching for that wound. Finally they bumped into a gash and Kieron stiffened, giving a sharp hiss.

            “Fuck!” he snapped, throwing a glare my way.

            Well, at least he seemed more aware.

            “Sorry,” I apologized. “I found the wound.”

            “No shit! I could have told you where it was. You didn’t have to go and jab it.”

            “I didn’t _jab_ it. I _prodded_ it. Lightly.”

            “Lightly my ass,” he grumbled.

            “Are you okay? You don’t look it.”

            “No, I’m generally okay when I’m covered in blood.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m not _okay_ , but I’m not gonna die so what’s it matter?”

            Bitterness in his voice. Again.

            Hmm.

            “But you’re hurting.”

            He just sighed. “Let’s give you a concussion, tear up your chest, and throw you into a mirror and let’s see how _you_ feel.”

            “Mirror?”

            He glared at me.

            I looked around and noticed the full length mirror in my room was gone. Well, the glass was, anyway. The frame still stood but the glass was on the ground in millions of sharp shards.

            Ow.

            “Well, erm…what can I do?” I asked, feeling as though we were back in that empty building. I still felt helpless and unsure, and I hated it.

            “Just… _fuck_ ,” he breathed, clenching his eyes tightly closed. I frowned and watched as his fingers dug into the carpet.

            “Don’t move,” I instructed.

            He held up a finger. Yeah, that one.

            “We’re not supposed to let birds in the apartment,” I told him, glaring. “Don’t you Etherians have any manners? Decency? Chivalry? Or are you all just giant assholes?”

            “I’d…tell you to…fuck off, but…” A pause. “That…would take too much breath.”

            “So what can I do to help?” I asked again.

            “Just…shut up. I need to sleep.”

            “Sleep? Uhh, no. Not with your concussion. I may not be a doctor, but I at least know that much.”

            “I’m freaking _immortal_ ,” he groaned. “I’m not…gonna die.”

            “Well, I’m not so sure you _know_ that. I’ve never heard of immortals getting so torn up, so maybe, just _maybe_ , you’re human after all.”

            I grinned down at him when he glowered at me.

            This was actually kind of fun, irking him.

            Especially when he was too tired to really do anything about it.

            I bit down on my lip, watching the red begin to stain my carpet. That would be rather hard to explain. “Er…let’s get you to the bathroom. Or kitchen.”

            Or anywhere that had a hard floor and not carpet. Preferably the bathroom because at least there, I could wash away the blood and tend the wounds, even if he said they didn’t need tending in the first place.

            He glared at me again. “Try to…move me and…I’ll kill you.”

            I laughed. “In your condition? Buddy, I’d like to see you _try_.”

            Snagging his arm, I began to haul him to his feet. He muttered at me but got his feet under him nevertheless. With him half leaning on me - even though I was sure it wasn’t intentional, what with the way he was scowling - we began to move out of my room and toward the bathroom.

            Once there, I decided I didn’t want him to just be uncomfortable with those wounds, so I had him steady himself against the wall, half leaning against the sink, while I put a good amount of towels down for him to rest on. Sure, he’d soak them with blood probably, but towels could be replaced. My carpet was too expensive to change at random, especially since I was just renting this place.

            “Alright, go ahead. On the towels.”

            He sneered at me but allowed himself to finally slide down the wall. Smears of red marked his journey. Crap. Well, I could repaint it, no big deal, right? Plus, I’d heard bleach did _wonders_ against blood.

            “Lay down.”

            He glared at me. “You think…moving is _fun_ …or something?”

            “Not really, but you’re killing my wall.”

            “Oh…of course, the… _wall_. Nice to see…where _your_ priorities lie,” he muttered, grimacing as he shifted.

            I sighed. “Sorry…but, like you said, you don’t _die_ , so…”

            He rolled his eyes gave me the finger again, as he rested his head back against the wall, his eyes falling shut.

            Great.

            “I thought I said no sleep.”

            “And I thought…I told…you to shut up.”

            “Fine. Sleep with a concussion. I don’t care. Maybe you’ll die and I’ll get away from you.”

            As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I regretted them. That wasn’t me. I wasn’t like that to people, and I certainly didn’t hope they’d _die_.

            I didn’t really hope he’d die. As much of an ass he was, I was actually getting _used_ to him, scary as that sounded. Plus, he was protecting me, and it wasn’t like I’d really stand a chance against those screamers, if what had happened to Kieron was any indicator of how ruthless they were.

            Kieron gave me a dirty look and closed his eyes again.

            “I…”

            “Shut. _Up_ ,” he snapped with surprising strength.

            I could hear hatred in his voice.

            _I’m sorry_ , I wanted to say. _I didn’t mean it._

            But he knew that, right?

            And anyway, what did it matter? We hated each other. The sooner one of us died…

            The better.

            Right?

            Except it didn’t really feel like it.

 

 

I wasn’t sure when I fell asleep, but I woke when the sun was setting. Damn it! Again? Seriously?

            With a growl, I crawled out of bed and startled at the dark stain on the ground. What the hell?

            Oh. Right.

            Kieron.

            Speaking of the immortal…

            I rushed toward the bathroom and peered inside. I hadn’t shut the door in case he needed help, but why was I worried? Even if he _did_ need help, it wasn’t like he’d _ask_ for it. Stubborn asshole.

            “Kieron?” I murmured as I flipped on the light. It was still kind of light outside, but the sun was nearly gone. Here, in the bathroom, there were no windows so no light got in either way. “Kieron?”

            He was still on the ground. Well, mostly on the ground but he was propped up on the wall. His head was tilted away from me and his hands were held limply at his sides. He was still covered in red but now it had become a dark brown color.

            “Kieron?” I shuffled toward him. Knelt next to him. Touched his shoulder.

            No response.

            “Kieron? Hey.” I gave him a small shake.

            He didn’t move, and-

            “What?” he muttered quietly, finally shifting somewhat.

            I startled and slid back somewhat, but breathed a sigh of relief. “How, um…how are you?”

            “Why do you ask?”

            “Huh?”

            “It’s not like you _care_. And I’m fine. I told you.” He glared at me and then got to his feet. I stared up at him. “Don’t you have somewhere to be that’s not _here_?”

            “Erm…this is _my_ apartment,” I said, like he’d forgotten. I climbed to my feet and sighed. “Look, about last-”

            “I don’t want to hear it. My head’s on fire and your voice is grating.” He stormed out of the bathroom and left me there to stare at where he had once been standing.

            I sighed and wandered out after him.

            My living room was a disaster.

            I’d noticed it last night, in passing as I’d headed for the kitchen - which, incidentally, was also a disaster, though not as much as the living room - and while it had seemed bad then, it looked worse now.

            All my furniture was smashed. All of it! The couch was a mere mass of wood and shredded cushions strewn partially across the floor, more in the corner than anywhere else. Strange, because my couch had never been near that corner. Had someone thrown it? Who? How? It was heavy! It had taken three movers to get it in here.

            There were long, jagged claw marks across the walls. My front door was gone, the door pushed in toward the living room, smashed on the floor. I’d done what I could last night, had tried to keep it dark through here so no one noticed, but I wasn’t sure how well I succeeded. I’d tried to at least lean the door against the from so it looked like it was still in place, but obviously sometime during the day, it had fallen and was now just a broken mess on the floor once again.

            The single lamp I’d had in the living room was smashed to pieces on the ground. Glass was everywhere on the floor over there. I didn’t dare go near it, in sneakers or otherwise.

            Instead, I trekked through the living room and toward the opening to the kitchen. Kieron was pulling a cold bottle of water out of the refrigerator, which had somehow survived the onslaught last night.

            My kitchen table was still in tact, but two of the chairs had perished. Ah, well. I could use them for firewood. Yeah. Pfft. I lived in an apartment - when was I ever going to be able to use firewood? In Ethereal, where the flames were _green_?

            Kieron chugged down his water in about three seconds. Then he crushed the bottle and looked around, frowning.

            “Where’s the recycling bin at?”

            I stared at him and his choice of words. He’d been pissed - at least I thought he was? - just a few seconds ago, and now he was asking about the _recycling_?

            “I, um…er, I don’t know. I’m not the one who rearranged my kitchen.”

            He tossed me a glare. I’m sorry to say I actually smiled, because even though he was glaring at me like his eyes could murder me, it felt _familiar_ and somehow _normal_ now, and I’d wondered if he would treat me the same now.

            Not that he’d ever treated me _great_ , but…it was getting more tolerable. I was getting used to having him around, and now that we were actually in _my_ turf, I felt at peace. I’d even grown used to hearing extra footsteps and sounds when I was up and moving around.

            Kieron put his empty bottle on the counter. He scratched at his head, peered down at his blood clothes, and then sighed.

            “Where are you going?” I asked as he began to leave the kitchen.

            “To take a shower, human,” he muttered, and a moment later I heard the harsh snap as the bathroom door closed.

            Great.

            I scrubbed a hand over my face.

            Actually, a shower sounded quite nice. Perfect, even. Hot water, relaxing, not having to worry about people breaking in through windows…

            Yeah. That sounded perfect.

            Except Kieron was there so I’d have to wait, and he’d probably use all the hot water so if I wanted a hot shower, I’d have to wait until later or take a cold one after he got out.

            Sigh.

            “Ow!” I screeched as I stepped on something sharp and jagged. I held my foot up and peered at the wound. A shard of glass was sticking out of my foot. It wasn’t too deep, but it stung and it was bleeding. Ow. Ow! Stupid floor! Stupid glass! Stupid screamers! Stupid Kieron! Stupid…stupidness!

            I tossed the shard onto the counter so I could dispose of it later, and then reached for a towel to help clean up the blood. I’d have to get the first aid kit after Kieron left the bathroom, because it was currently located in the cabinet above the sink.

            Except, I couldn’t find any towels. I saw _parts_ of towels, sure…but not whole ones. Obviously my towels had been used as clawing practice, because they’d been shredded and were basically nothing now.

            And to think…

            Instead of the towels…

            That could have been my _face_.

            Couldn’t think about that right now. Towels. Had to get towels for my foot which was stinging horribly right now. Red was dripping to the ground. With a growl, I left the kitchen and hobbled down the hall toward the bathroom.

            Go in, get supplies, leave.

            In and out.

            No big deal.

            Kieron didn’t really have to know, right?

            I took a breath and then decided I at least had to have _some_ decency. After all, what if he’d locked the door? I’d need him to open it then.

            So I rapped my knuckles lightly against the wood two times. After a brief pause, there was no response so I reached out and gripped the door handle. It twisted in my grasp.

            Success!

            I pushed the door open and rushed toward the sink. The sound of my shower was loud in the small room, bouncing sharply off the walls. I had great water pressure. I could hear movement behind the shower curtain, and hurried to quietly pry the cabinet open so I could get out the necessary supplies.

            _Yes!_

            There it was!

            My fingers closed around the handle of the first aid kit, and I tugged it out of the cabinet.

            Of course, it just _had_ to be on the top shelf.

            And I just _had_ to be three inches too short to get it. Even standing on my tip toes, it had been hard.

            As I managed to tug the first aid kit out, other various items fell from the top shelf as well, obviously caught on the kit. Bottles fell to the floor, some of them pills - like Tylenol, Advil, etc. - while others were old prescriptions I’d had. One of my good razors even fell to the ground as well.

            They all hit the ground with a sharp clang.

            The person in the shower stilled.

            Oh, shit.

            I tiptoed toward the door. Maybe I could blame it on…uhh, faulty placement. Yes! That was it! Things had been stacked badly and they’d fallen and had made that sound. Yes, that was perfect, it-

            “Human?” came Kieron’s sharp voice.

            I froze, my hand on the doorknob. “Erm…” I cleared my throat, forced a smile, and turned to face Kieron.

            He was peering at me from around the shower curtain, only his head poking out. Steam blew around him.

            His blue eyes narrowed on me. “What are you doing?”

            Well, he didn’t sound pissed.

            Mostly just…confused? Curious? Hmm.

            “Erm, I, uh…my foot,” I said, suddenly remembering why I was therein the first place. I held up my foot to show him the wound. “I just, uh…I was trying to get the med kit and I didn’t wanna disturb you but I needed it and you were in here so I was trying to be quiet but then things fell and I-”

            “Terry,” Kieron said with a chuckle - dear God, yes…a chuckle!. “Calm down.”

            “Calm down?” I spluttered. And hey! He’d used my name!

            “Yes. Give it to me.”

            I gaped. “What?”

            Now he rolled his eyes and gestured with a nod of his head. “The towel. Give it to me.”

            “Oh, um…uh, yeah. Okay.” I grabbed the towel and tossed it to him. He draped it across the top of the shower curtain, over the pole, and then disappeared back into the curtains.

            The shower shut off and the towel disappeared behind the curtains as well.

            That was it? No lecture? No murder? Just ‘okay’ and it was over?

            “Well, um…I…uh, I’m gonna go take care of my foot,” I said awkwardly, cursing myself for how odd this seemed. I snagged up the first aid kit, left the rest on the ground for me to deal with later, and then ran from the room.

            _You know…he’s not so bad with dark, damp hair._

            What the?

            I growled and stormed into my room. Nope. No way. I was not going to think about this. Nope. Not at all.

            So I pried the kit open, pulled out what I needed, and got to work on my foot.


	13. Through the Barn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You gotta go back to Ethereal... and Kieron's nice to someone for a change. But it's not you.

Chapter Thirteen: Through the Barn

 

 

 

“They’re gonna kill me,” I sighed as I took in my living room again. Perhaps the smashed furniture I could replace, and I could paint over the blood smears, but the claw marks? How could I explain those or get rid of them? I needed plaster. Which meant I’d have to go to the store, learn how to do it - as I had never been very good at anything remotely close to remodeling or fixing anything up - and eventually get around to fixing it…preferably before anything else happened.

            Speaking of anything else…

            “You think those screamers are gonna come back?” I asked, glancing at Kieron who stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, leaning against the frame.

            “Of course they are,” he scoffed like it was obvious. “They’re after you. They’re going to come back and there’s going to be more than one of them.”

            “Oh…what should we do?”

            “It’s not safe here but it’s not like you’re going to go anywhere, so I guess we stay here until you die.”

            I stared at him. “Wait, what? Stay here?”

            I wanted to hit him for sounding so nonchalant toward my life…or death.

            “What did you think your options were? It’s not safe here, they know where you live and _have_ known where you live, and it’s not going to take them long to come back with more force.” He rolled his eyes. “You’re obviously not going to leave this place, and I’m tired of dragging you everywhere and listening to you complain. You know your options.”

            Then he pushed off the frame and entered the kitchen.

            Jerk!

            Sighing, I bit down on my lower lip and then followed after him. “Those are the…only choices?”

            He snorted and took a drink of water. This water he’d gotten from the tap, as it was in a glass. “Uh huh.”

            “Where would we go if we left here?”

            Kieron shrugged. “The safest bet would be Ethereal. We could make it to Ashere’s.”

            “Yeah, okay…who is Ashere?”

            “A friend.”

            “Yeah, so you’ve said.” I rolled my eyes. “But _who_ is he?”

            “Another perpetual.”

            Of course he was.

            “Alright,” I sighed. “Fine. Whatever. Say we go there. How long would it be? Because if I just go missing again…my friends will probably call the cops and they’ll ransack my place and then when I _do_ get back…”

            Kieron shrugged. “It’s up to you. Do you want to live or die?”

            If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was pissed at me. I scrubbed a hand over my face. “You’re really not making this easy,” I grumbled.

            He smirked - yeah, smirked! “It’d be no fun if it was easy.”

            “Fun? _Fun_? None of this is fun! They’re trying to kill me. And immortal or not, you keep getting the crap beaten out of you.”

            He shrugged. “It’s not like I’m gonna-”

            “Die, yeah, I know.” I rolled my eyes. “So what are we gonna do?”

            “We?” His lips curled upward slightly in either a sneer or a smirk, I wasn’t sure which.

            “Yeah, we! I haven’t been able to get rid of you so far, right? So what are we gonna do?”

            He shrugged. “That’s up to you to decide.” Then he turned his back on me and left the room. I growled beneath my breath and chased after him.

            “Hey! Don’t just walk away! I’m talking to you.”

            Now he snorted and turned to face me again. “You know your choices, human.”

            “Well, I wanna live.”

            Yeah, that was pretty damn high on my list of priorities at the moment.

            Kieron snorted. “We don’t always get what we want.”

            I sighed and bit down on my lower lip, wondering what to do. I wanted to live, which meant I had to go with him, probably back to Ethereal. Either way, it was away from here, from my life and my friends. Again. I didn’t want to leave again but my urge to live was stronger than the love I had of being home. The screamers had already arrived once and pretty much destroyed two rooms of my apartment. They’d return, and like Kieron said, there’d be more than one. They might succeed in killing me if just one of those things had done that to Kieron.

            So I finally gave a reluctant nod. “Fine,” I muttered. “I guess I’ll…I’ll go.”

            Kieron shrugged like it didn’t matter to him either way. “Alright, human. Go to sleep. We leave when the sun sets.”

 

 

 

It was dark. We were in my car, going where, I wasn’t quite sure. We were heading out of town and Kieron seemed to know where he was going, which made me curious. He’d said he’d been here before, but with his hatred of humanity, I couldn’t quite figure out _why_ he would have been here before. I kept biting my tongue to keep from asking because I did _not_ care if he’d been here before, or why, or-

            “Why were you here before?” I blurted before I could stop myself.

            Kieron peered over from the passenger seat, his eyes narrowed. The color of his eyes and hair stood out even in the darkness surrounded us, our faces only illuminated by the occasional street light and the light from the dash of the car.

            “It doesn’t matter,” he grunted before looking away again. “Turn right up here.”

            I turned. “How do you know where you’re going?”

            “I just do.”

            “Uh huh. Sure. You hate humans but you’ve been here before, you know what pizza is, and you seem to know where we’re going. There’s gotta be a story behind that because if you hate humanity so much, why were you here? Why are you here now?”

            He tossed me a glare. “ _You_ are the reason I’m here now. Not because I _want_ to be.”

            “Me?” I paused. “Was there another ‘me’ when you were here last time?”

            Hmm, maybe he’d done all of this before. Maybe that was why he was so annoyed with me. Maybe when he’d been here last time, he’d been with another person who had been able to see him. Maybe back then, he hadn’t been so rude. Maybe he’d even been friends with the other person.

            Not likely, but…

            “Just drive,” he said instead of answering. “Or shut up and let me take over.”

            Now I gaped. “You can _drive_?”

            Would wonders never cease?

            “Since when? How? Do they have cars in Atlantis?”

            “Ethereal,” he corrected. “And not exactly.”

            “What do you mean _not exactly_? Either you have them or you don’t.”

            “Ours are more advanced.”

            “How so?”

            “Don’t you ever get tired of hearing your voice?” he groused, turning his gaze back out the passenger window. “Turn left up here.”

            I sighed and turned. “I’m just curious,” I admitted. “You hate humans so much, I just can’t picture you having been here before.”

            I wasn’t sure why he was making such a big deal about this. Was it so hard to just answer my questions? Hadn’t he learned yet that if he answered them, I wouldn’t be asking so many? Obviously not. He just sat there and glowered at me.

            “Just because I hate humans,” he said slowly, “doesn’t mean I’m not familiar with them.”

            I sighed and shook my head. Getting answers from him was like pulling teeth.

            We drove in silence for about ten minutes before we arrived at a quaint little house in the middle of nowhere. Well, not _nowhere_ , but pretty close. It was standing alone outside of a small town. Kieron instructed me to park off to the side.

            “Why are we here?” I asked, because this place wasn’t empty. Lights were on in the windows.

            “Mutual agreement,” was all he said as he climbed out of the car. I sighed and followed suit.

            We headed up the porch steps and Kieron rapped his knuckles against the door a few times. A few seconds later, someone answered and stared at Kieron so much I thought he could see the blue hair too.

            “Kieron,” the person murmured.

            Kieron forced a smile. “Hey, Brian. We need to use your barn.”

            What?

            “You know each other?” I asked, completely shocked. Brian looked normal enough and he lived here, so he was human, right? And yet Kieron had smiled and knew him by name? And had _called him by name_? What the hell? He just kept calling me human!

            No. I was not jealous. Why would you say that?

            I just didn’t see why he called him Brian but wouldn’t call me Terry.

            Kieron shot me a look. “Don’t you ever shut up?” He looked back at Brian.

            Brian certainly _looked_ normal. He had dark brown hair, light hazel eyes, and a dark tan which almost hid the freckles on his face. He was taller than me but not gigantic like Lehane. His body was thin but his arms were muscular. Of course, that was probably because he lived on a small farm.

            There was one barn on the property, behind the house, and I hadn’t seen any animals yet, but I was sure there were some. Why else would he have a barn?

            Brian paused. “Who is this?”

            “I’m Terry,” I said before Kieron could answer.

            “Why are you here?”

            I blinked. “Because Kieron drug me here?” What did it matter why I was here? He certainly didn’t seem to have a problem with Kieron being here, so why me? I mean, Kieron was the ass, not me!

            Now Brian shot a glare at Kieron. “Are you _serious_?” he growled.

            Kieron rolled his eyes. “Oh, grow up. He’s being hunted.”

            “Uh huh, I wonder _why_ ,” he drawled, which led me to believe he knew more than I did.

            “Wait, why _am_ I being hunted? Kieron’s not very forthcoming with information,” I told Brian.

            Brian snorted but didn’t answer me. Instead he kept glaring at Kieron. “I knew you were trouble.”

            “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. The barn, please. We need to use the barn.”

            _What’s so special about a barn? And who is this guy? How do they know each other?_ I thought to myself.

            Brian sighed and shook his head. “You’re going to use it either way, so go ahead.” Kieron started walking off the porch. “And Kieron?” The blue-haired immortal turned slightly, facing him again. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

            Kieron grunted and jumped off the porch. I sighed and looked at Brian. “So, can you tell me _anything_?” There was so much I wanted to know but no one would tell me anything. Brian was human, right? He could tell me, couldn’t he?

            Brian just shrugged and exited the house. He jumped off the porch as well and began following after Kieron. Sighing, I had no choice but to follow and be left in the dark in more ways than one.

            We headed toward the barn. Kieron threw open the door and entered. I could hear horses neighing from inside. Brian and I also entered and I frowned. There was nothing in here - at least nothing that seemed important to _getting the hell out of here before the screamers came back_. Just horses, equipment, and hay. That was it.

            “What are we-” I started to ask, but Kieron cut me off.

            “Where do you want it?” he asked Brian.

            Oh, was that what he was playing? He was ignoring me but talking to Brian? I glared at the back of his head. That wasn’t fair! He was protecting _me_ and Brian was someone he just _happened_ to know and he was talking to _him_ and not _me_? Even after he’d been staying at my apartment?

            Jerk!

            “Anywhere away from the horses,” Brian sighed. “Do you need anything else?” He sounded tired.

            “No.”

            Over his shoulder was the duffel we’d gotten from Lehane. In it were some of my clothes and his original ones, along with the ones Lehane had given us. I wasn’t sure what else was in there but it was bulging at the sides.

            “Alright.” Brian rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly. “How, um…how are you?”

            I stared. Did he seriously just ask how Kieron was? _Kieron_? What did he care?

            Kieron shrugged. “Oh, you know, still _immortal_ and all.”

            Brian nodded like it was nothing new. So he _did_ know he was immortal. Did that mean he could see the blue hair and everything as well? Was he like me? Was he the other ‘me’? The reason Kieron had been here before? Except they didn’t really seem close. Then again, Kieron hated humans.

            “You look pale.”

            Kieron shrugged again. I frowned. Kieron was _always_ pale - he was never out during the day. Of course he was pale!

            Right?

            “Blood loss,” Kieron said.

            “Ah. I see.”

            Awkward silence.

            “So how’d you two meet?” I asked, wanting to become part of the conversation. Kieron ignoring me was one thing…he hated humans. But him talking to Brian but _still_ ignoring me?

            I was _not_ jealous.

            I was just…confused.

            And annoyed.

            Brian’s eyes flickered toward me momentarily before he shook his head. “How much have you told this guy?”

            Even though he was looking at me, it was directed at Kieron.

            Kieron just snorted in response.

            “Not much,” I said. “How do you two know each other? Are you why he was here before? Did you teach him to drive? Did you give him pizza?”

            Brian laughed and then gestured at the far end of the barn, where it was mostly empty save for some equipment. All the horses were toward the front. There were three of them.

            Kieron moved toward there.

            Again, no one answered me.

            I glared at Brian as I walked by him. No wonder they knew each other - he was an ass too!

            I stood next to Kieron. Brian narrowed his eyes at me like he already hated me for some reason. I just continued glaring at him. I was tempted to give him the finger or snarl at him, but I just kept my mouth shut and stood there like a good boy.

            “See you around,” Brian muttered at Kieron.

            The immortal just nodded and suddenly the air around us was shimmering, fracturing, and I felt sick to my stomach. Air rushed at my face, shapes and colors swarmed around me, and suddenly I was staggering. I collapsed to my knees and looked up, regaining my breath. Leviathan trees towered over me.

            Kieron was smiling at the surroundings.

            He was home.

            We were back in Ethereal.


	14. Sealing My Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, running off alone probably isn't the best idea...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I realize Terry can kinda be annoying; he gets better later, as does Kieron, after I learned a little of what I wanted to do with this story. I promise they are soooooo much better in the second book, but I have to post this one first. If you have stuck with it this far, continue reading, yes? :D

Chapter Fourteen: Sealing My Fate

 

 

 

To say I wasn’t thrilled to be back in Ethereal would be an understatement. I had never wanted to return to this place but yet here I was of my own free will. Of course, it wasn’t like I had much choice in the matter. It was either go with Kieron or certain death and seeing as how I didn’t want to die any time soon, I wasn’t left with a lot of options. That didn’t mean I had to like it, though. And like it I did not.

            “So who’s Brian?” I asked because even though it had been a day since then - night? - I still had many questions regarding how those two knew each other. And why they had ignored me entirely. “Are you two friends? Is he the other ‘me’?”

            I wasn’t sure why, but whenever I said that - the other ‘me’ - I felt a spark of anger at the edge of my mind, like I was annoyed or something, but I couldn’t figure out why. What did I care if he was the other ‘me’? What did I care if there _was_ another ‘me’? Kieron seemed to know a bit about humanity and if he had never been there, he wouldn’t know that stuff, right? Plus he had been in the woods, in _sight_ , when we had first met and he wouldn’t have been there if he knew nothing of there, right?

            “Kieron? Hello? Are you going to answer me?”

            I was getting really tired of being ignored but I thought I should have been used to it by now. It wasn’t like Kieron _normally_ talked to me…not unless he had to, and since he’d been staying with me, he hadn’t had much choice in the matter, but now that I was back here with him, he seemed to have reverted to his quiet, rude self from before.

            I wasn’t happy with it, to say the least. Just because he was an ass didn’t mean I didn’t want to hear him talk. The silence was bothering me. All I could hear were crickets and occasionally a growl not far off in the distance. Not a screamer - it didn’t sound like one - but it didn’t sound normal, either. A few owls hooted here and there. It was nice to know at least _something_ was familiar.

            I sighed and glared at him, stopping in my tracks. I was tired of this cold shoulder act of his. “Would you stop _ignoring_ me? Hey! I’m talking to you!” I stomped forward and grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around to face me. His eyes were narrowed and his expression was twisted in annoyance, but damn it, I was tired of being ignored! “Stop ignoring me! I know you’re not freaking deaf!”

            He glared at me and shrugged off my grip. “You never shut up! I have no choice but to ignore you because I don’t _want_ to go deaf listening to you rant on and on and on!”

            “I wouldn’t keep talking if you’d stop ignoring me! If you answered my damn questions, I wouldn’t keep asking! Who is Brian!”

            “What the hell does it matter?”

            I paused. Hmm. Why _did_ it matter?

            “Because!”

            Oh, yes. A clever reason. My intellect amazed even me.

            “Is he the other ‘me’?”

            “What’s it matter? And would you stop saying that. You don’t have a damn twin.” He shook his head.

            “Is he the other ‘me’?” I asked again, determined to get an answer.

            “I don’t even know what that’s supposed to _mean_.”

            I rolled my eyes. “I _mean_ is he the reason you were around humans before? Is he who taught you to drive? Gave you pizza? Is he the _other me_?”

            I wasn’t sure why it was so important for me to know, but my mind refused to let the matter drop and thus I _had_ to know. A part of me demanded it and yet, as I watched his face and waited for a response, hoping I would get one, I couldn’t help but almost _dread_ the answer, though why, I had no idea. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t want to know, right? And what did it even matter? Why did I want to know at all?

            I was just curious - that was all.

            I just wanted to know.

            Nothing wrong with that…right?

            Kieron sighed. “You’re really gonna bring this up _here_?”

            “Where else?” I muttered. “All we ever do is walk and sleep and walk and…”

            Blue eyes rolled at me. “You know we have to keep moving. And, no, he’s not the other ‘you’. That would be someone _else_. I told you, we have a mutual agreement.”

            “Mutual agreement? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

            Annoyance sparked in his eyes. His lips lifted into a snarl. “It means we tolerate each other. He guards the entrance and lets me use it.”

            “Entrance? You mean the barn?”

            “Duh. There are many entrances scattered all over the world. One was in the trees, as you saw. Another in that building. And another in the barn.”

            “Okay, but why do you have an agreement? He seemed human enough to me.”

            “He _is_ human,” Kieron muttered.

            “Then how do you have a mutual agreement? Why? How can he guard the entrance?”

            “It’s complicated.”

            “Well, un-complicate it! How do you know each other?”

            _And why did you call him Brian but you won’t call me Terry?_ I thought to myself.

            “Alpha, does it really _matter_? Get over it!”

            I glared at him. “It matters!”

            “ _Why_? How?”

            “It matters to _me_!” I spat, and then paused because that was the truth. It mattered to me even though I didn’t know why.

            He just watched me for a moment, an unreadable look in his eyes, his expression calculating. I kept quiet because I didn’t know what else to say. I just wanted to _know_.

            Finally, he sighed and shook his head, a faint chuckle easing out of his mouth. I stared, uncertain. “Human, you really need to get your priorities straight. You’re being _hunted_ but you’re worried about a mutual agreement that was made _decades_ ago?”

            “Decades? He doesn’t look that old,” I said, perplexed. He looked like he was in his twenties, like me.

            “He’s not,” Kieron agreed. “If memory serves me right, he is about to turn twenty-seven.”

            “Then how…?”

            “His family has been a part of the agreement since the 1940s.”

            “1940s?”

            “Yes. And we know each other because it’s not the first time I’ve used that particular entrance. I think he was sixteen the first time we met. Gave him quite a shock when I appeared in the barn.” Kieron gave another quiet chuckle. He was actually _amused_ like he was looking back on a fond memory. I gaped. He had good memories about a _human_?

            “Sixteen? Why? How are they in on it? The family, I mean. And what’s the agreement?”

            He gave a shrug. “Believe it or not, I don’t have all the answers, human. I didn’t make the _deal_. I wasn’t a part of it…at least not until the 1960s.”

            I stared. Jeez, how old was he? Oh, right. Immortal. Sigh.

            “How’d you become a part of it? Why?”

            “Wasn’t by choice. I had my orders.”

            “Orders?” I couldn’t quite picture Kieron being ordered around. It was a funny thought, though. “Wait - so _how_ many times have you been to, erm…Earth?” I wasn’t entirely sure what Etherians would call it.

            “Lots of times,” he admitted. “Unfortunately.”

            “And when did you learn to drive? Get introduced to pizza?”

            “Human, it was a long time ago.”

            “How long?”

            He rolled his eyes. “It doesn’t matter. Enough questions. We need to keep moving.” He turned and started walking without another word.

            I sighed. I still hadn’t gotten my actual questions answered, but at least I knew Brian wasn’t the other ‘me’, even though I wasn’t sure why it mattered, like Kieron kept saying.

 

 

 

“So can Brian see you? I mean with blue hair.”

            “Don’t you ever _stop_?” Kieron hissed tiredly. We had stopped for the time being, settled in a small clearing. I was eating more rhine and Kieron wasn’t eating anything. I wondered if he was hungry. Did immortals feel hunger? Hmm. They must have or they wouldn’t need to eat, right? And he’d eaten at my apartment. Not much but he had, and he knew what pizza was so he must have eaten it before, too.

            “Can he see you?” I asked again, leaning against a tree a I sat on the ground. Green flames flickered around a dying fire.

            “ _No_ , he _can’t_ ,” Kieron grunted. “Why does it matter?”

            “Then how does he know who you are? He knows you’re immortal.”

            “So do you.”

            “But I can see you.”

            “You’re not _supposed_ to be able to see me,” he groused, prodding the dying embers with a stick. “You’re an anomaly.”

            “Gee, _thanks_. How does he know-”

            “Alpha, don’t you ever _shut up_? He knows I’m immortal because I look the same now as I did when we first met. And it’s not like he was left in the dark when he learned about the barn. It’s been in his family for generations.”

            “Why is he not left in the dark but you won’t tell me anything,” I muttered under my breath. I didn’t expect him to hear me but he lifted his gaze toward me and glared.

            “You’re not him,” he said.

            “Why is he so special?” I complained. “Why’s he get to know? Why isn’t _he_ called ‘human’?”

            “We have an _agreement_.”

            “You were friendly! You smiled!”

            “The hell does that have to do with _anything_? I can be cordial, damn it!” He tossed the stick to the side and shot me a nasty look, his blue eyes flashing into…something else. Something inhuman. But then they returned to normal as quickly as they’d changed.

            I swallowed. “Then why are you not cordial to me…”

            “Why would I be? We don’t have an agreement.”

            “But you’re protecting me! You’re following me and dragging me around and - why can’t you call me Terry!”

            “Does it really matter?”

            “Yes! It does! I have a name and I would like it if you actually _used_ it!”

            “We don’t always get what we want.”

            “Then why call him Brian?” I shot back, glaring.

            “You want to know why? You _really_ want to know?” Kieron growled, getting to his feet. I climbed to mine as well and back up as much against the tree as I could when the immortal took a few dangerous steps forward, his gaze locked on me, his eyes like steel but not nearly as soft.

            “Yes,” I whispered faintly.

            “Because I’ve known him for a _decade_. I’ve known his family for _years_. Because once upon a time, he _did_ introduce me to pizza. Once upon a time, I was told to _protect him_. Once upon a time, he was _important_. And most of all? I don’t _hate_ him. Why don’t I hate him? Because I _respect him_.” He shoved me into the tree. Bark cut into my back and tangled in my hair. His hands curled into my shirt, lifting me somewhat.

            “But-” I started weakly.

            “I hate humanity,” he said. “I do. But there _are_ people I _respect_. And you.” His lips twisted into a sneer, his expression cold and unforgiving. “ _You_ are not one of them. We have no agreement. Our only tie is that you can _see_ me and I need to find out _why_. That’s why you’re still alive. Not because I like you. Not because I _respect_ you, because I _don’t_. _You_.” He snorted and pressed me more against the tree. My back started to hurt. “It’s people like _you_ I can’t stand. You’re pathetic.”

            “Sorry…I didn’t _ask_ you to protect me!” I snapped, trying to break free of his grasp. I knew he hated me but…but _this_ _much_? What had I ever done to him? Despite myself, I felt my heart ache because even though I didn’t like him, I hadn’t expected him to… _loathe_ me this much. “Let go! You fucking asshole, let go!” I kicked at him. If he felt it, he didn’t show it.

            He snorted and tossed me to the side like I was nothing. My shoulder slammed into the ground and I winced, sitting up slowly. He walked around me and back toward the fire.

            I climbed to my feet and swallowed thickly. If he hated me so much, why was he doing this? Why was he protecting me? Why didn’t he just let me die?

            I didn’t want to stay with him a moment longer. I was _done_. Fuck him. I didn’t need him. All he did was complicate things and threaten me and _hate me_.

            “I’ll save us both the trouble,” I muttered, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. I glared at the ground but I could feel his eyes on me, so judgmental and hateful and - “I’ll leave. And I’ll see you in _hell_. Fuck _you_.”

            I turned and darted into the trees.

            If he followed, I didn’t hear him.

            If I heard him, I didn’t care.

            I was _done_.

 

 

 

I wasn’t sure how far I walked. I had no sense of time. I just pushed through the trees. The sun would be up soon but I didn’t care. Maybe now I could finally get my normal schedule back without Kieron around.

            Bastard.

            He could die for all I cared right now.

            Fuck him.

            I didn’t need him, never had. He was just a giant asshole. I couldn’t see how anyone could be his friend if he was like this all the time.

            But I didn’t care. I knew I was pathetic. I knew I was weak. I’d never once claimed to be a fighter. I’d never said I was _good_. I wasn’t innocent, or strong, or…well… _anything_. I was nothing.

            I could see that now.

            But if I knew that…why did it hurt?

            I heard a snarl in the distance. Loud, vicious… _familiar_. Snapped out of my daze, I froze and looked around because that was a screamer. I was alone and hunted and they’d finally found me. Kieron was nowhere around. Why would he help me anyway, if he hated me so damn much? Maybe it was better if it ended here…

            Except I didn’t want to die. My need to live had my feet moving before I could process what was happening. I darted through the trees as fast as I could, my heart racing in my chest because I could hear them behind me, gaining on me, screeching, growling… _hunting_.

            _I don’t wanna die, I don’t wanna die, I don’t wanna-_

            Something slammed into my back and I hit the ground, the breath knocked from my lungs. Claws tore into my skin as I was rolled over to stare up at a snarling, vicious face which looked like death in physical form. Blood stained its teeth. Inhuman, murderous eyes glared down at me with a burning hunger which left me struggling.

            “Get off, get off, get-!” I tried to cry out but claws sliced across my face and silenced me. Blood raced down my cheek toward my ear since I was on my back. I tried to bring my hands up and bat the creature away, but my arms were caught and pushed down, trapped suddenly beneath the screamer’s knees as he pinned me there, straddling me. My heart raced violently in my chest, pummeling against my ribcage.

            “Finally got you,” the thing hissed mirthlessly. A smile split its face but it looked infinitely _wrong_ , like something so horrible shouldn’t have been able to exist. I could hear my demise in its heartless laugh. “And you are going to taste so _good_.”

            “Get off me! Leave me alone! What the hell do you want with-”

            A clawed hand clamped over my mouth. “I want to kill you now but I have orders,” it snapped, glaring down at me. “Don’t make me have to disobey.”

            “Please, just-” I started to beg because I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to die. Please, I-

            Another creature emerged from the trees around us. It smirked down at me with sharp fangs which promised pain. “Get him to his feet.”

            “Wait-” I gasped as I was hauled violently to my feet. My head spun at the suddenness of the movement.

            My arms were wrenched painfully behind my back. Something sharp wrapped around my wrists and cut into my skin. Blood slid down my trapped hands. I tried to twist my wrists free but it only caused the things to tighten into my skin. More blood ran free.

            “Where’s your perpetual, human?” the second creature hissed into my ear.

            I flinched. “I don’t-”

            “And don’t _lie_.”

            “I don’t have a-”

            “Where is he? The blue-haired one, human. Don’t play dumb.”

            “He’s not-”

            “Where is he?”

            I shook my head quickly. “Not here,” I told them as fast as I could. “He’s not here. Please, just-”

            “Not here?” It laughed and shook its head. “So no one is coming for you.”

            It wasn’t a question. I didn’t answer, just stared at their inhuman faces.

            Waiting to die.

            Knowing it was coming.

            Couldn’t stop it. Couldn’t-

            Something sharp slid into my shoulder. I threw my head back and screamed as blood squeezed from the wound. I almost lost my footing and went to my knees at the pain but I was held up. The thing left my should - a knife? A weird blade? Their claws? I didn’t know. I had my eyes held shut to try and ignore the pain but I couldn’t.

            “Oh, perpetual - come out, come out, wherever you are,” one of them called into the darkness.

            “He’s…not,” I panted, “…here…He’s not here, he’s not coming, please just-”

            “He hasn’t bonded with you, has he?” A cold laughed echoed in my ear.

            “B-Bonded?” I asked, gasping as I was pushed backward, into a tree. My shoulder blazed.

            “Good. Then there’s no trail to us and you’re linked to _no one_. Come, brother - let us haul in our prey.”

            Prey? No, no, no, please-

            “Stop,” I gasped when they tore me away from the tree. Claws dug into the back of my neck.

            “A pity you haven’t bonded, human. Then hunting down that perpetual would be so much easier.”

            Kieron? They were after Kieron too? Why? What role did he play in all of this and what the hell did they mean, bonding?

            “I don’t understand what you-”

            “Did I say you could talk?”

            Pain in the back of my neck as claws poked through my skin. Not a lot but enough to bleed and damn it, it _hurt_.

            I snapped my mouth shut and tried to ignore how dizzy I felt. Blood ran down my arm from my shoulder. It coated my neck. I couldn’t feel my hands anymore, which was probably a blessing considering they were being stabbed by whatever was holding them in place.

            I was going to die.

            Die.

            Soon.

            Painfully.

            _I don’t wanna die, I wanna go home, I don’t wanna die, I-_

            “Please, I’ve never done anything to you,” I whispered. “Just let me go, I won’t tell anyone, I-”

            _Crack!_

            My head shot to the side as pain roared through my head. My vision spun and my feet suddenly couldn’t hold me up. It was like I forgot how to stand. I went down to my knees and groaned, feeling sick to my stomach. My head felt like it was going to explode.

            _Help me - please. Let me go._

            I couldn’t lift my head. It hung down around my chest. Pain resonated through my head and into my neck and onward.

            Couldn’t move.

            Hurt.

            Ow, ow, ow, please.

            No more.

            Darkness edged around my vision. My mind felt fractured.

            Something sliced across my other cheek. I snapped my eyes open.

            “No passing out,” one of them chided with a harsh laugh. “Not unless you’re ready to die.”

            “Why are you doing this?” I asked breathlessly.

            They didn’t answer. I was hauled back to my feet and shoved forward. I tripped but managed to stay standing.

            _Kieron, where are you?_

            Except I’d left him.

            Stormed off in a fit of rage and hurt and now I was going to _die_.

            “You’re sure he hasn’t bonded with you?”

            Why was that so important?

            “I-I don’t know what that _means_ ,” I murmured. “Please-”

            “Good. Then it’s going to be so much easier to kill you.”

            Why would it make it easier? What did they mean? I was so confused but the pain was my main concern right now.

            That and how I was going to die.

            There was no getting out of this. No one was coming to help me. Kieron didn’t know I was here.

            I’d walked away and unknowingly sealed my own fate.


	15. Liar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kieron's a liar. Why did he come for you?

Chapter Fifteen: Liar

 

 

 

 

I was going to die. I knew I was. My fault. I walked away, I left, I stormed off, I-

            My fault.

            My own doing.

            I should have stayed put. Kieron hated me but he was protecting me even though I didn’t know why. At least with him I had a _chance_ of survival. Here, on my own, I’d sealed my fate and I was going to die. Soon. Painfully.

            I’d never get to say goodbye to anyone - Rufus, my brother, John… _anyone_. I was just going to disappear. No one would ever know what happened. They would never know about Ethereal or how screamers were going to kill me. They would never know what the screamers would do. To them I’d just disappear without a trace.

            No one would know.

            Not even Kieron because he _wasn’t here_.

            Because I _walked away_.

            My fault.

            I stood no chance against them. I’d seen what they did to Kieron and he was an immortal - who clearly had a few abnormalities himself. If they could do that to him - just _one_ could do that to him - I knew I didn’t stand a chance.

            I just had to learn to accept my fate.

            Except I _didn’t want to die_.

            More than anything, I wanted to live. I wanted to go home, be with my friends and family, live a _normal_ life…anything but this. I didn’t want to die!

            I kept my gaze focused on the ground because looking at those monsters was making me sick to my stomach. They were going to kill me, rip into me with their claws and teeth and…they were taking me to others like them. Why? I didn’t know but it couldn’t be good. Either way my death was going to be painful. And bloody.

            It was already bloody.

            Something slammed into the screamer behind me. I heard a thud as it hit the ground. On instinct, I spun but then startled as I was shoved aside, tossed to the ground like a sack of potatoes. My shoulder hit the dirt and I winced breathlessly. I heard snarls coming from around me but didn’t feel like looking. It didn’t matter anyway. It was probably screamers wanting to kill me but fighting over it. I didn’t know.

            I just knew I was going to die. It didn’t matter who did it anymore.

            I gave up. I’d run out of options. Walked away from my only chance of survival.

            Sealed my _fate_.

            A hand snagged my arm and roughly tossed me to my feet. I staggered and snapped my eyes open to stare at my attacker only to see a flash of blue hair move around me.

            “ _Kieron_?” I gasped.

            Blue eyes flashed toward me. “Who else would be stupid enough to come after you? Run!” He shoved me away from him. Snarling came from behind me - behind him. I turned.

            “Kieron!”

            Something stabbed out of his stomach, dark with blood. Kieron’s eyes flashed and then darkened as he staggered briefly and then sank to his knees as the object was pulled through him - out his back. I stared, uncomprehending.

            He’d just been stabbed.

            All the way through.

            “Kieron! No!” I surged forward even though I was useless to do anything because my hands were still held hostage behind my back.

            He dropped forward, his arms holding him up as he rested on his knees, the palms of his hands digging into the ground. I heard ragged breaths.

            “Kieron!” I didn’t know what to do. This was my fault, I-

            He brought his gaze up, locked his eyes onto mine. They were dark, glazed, not bright like they usually were. “Run,” he whispered breathlessly.

            “No, I can’t-”

            “For once…do what I say. _Run_.” A shallow breath. “Take…this. Lose…your clothes. They’ll…find you.” He handed me a blade with odd carvings etched along the handle. It glimmered even in the darkness.

            There was movement behind Kieron. The screamers regrouping. He must have done some damage to one of them. Well, at least they seemed loyal to each other.

            Except, Kieron…

            “Kieron? Hey - get up. Come with me. They’re coming back…Get up!”

            He gave a weak, watery chuckle. “Go, human.” A grimace covered his face. Blood pooled around him and he looked so frail at the moment I wanted to actually reach out and hug him or…or _something_. “The…blade will…guide you, just…just _go_.”

            “No, Kieron-”

            His arms shook. His fingers clawed into the dirt as he dropped his gaze. “Run. And…don’t look back.”

            He looked half-dead but he still seemed to have enough strength to raise an arm and shove me backward. I staggered back on my kneels as I’d been kneeling next to him.

            “ _Go_. Look for…Ashere. _Run_!”

            Despite myself, the sight of the screamers rising behind him had my feet moving on auto-pilot. I clutched the blade as much as I could with my hands behind my back. My fingers were numb but I managed to grip it.

            Kieron’s head dropped and he collapsed, his eyes falling closed.

            Behind him towered the screamers. Their gaze settled on me.

            I turned and ran.

            I’m ashamed to say I didn’t look back.

 

 

I wasn’t sure how it happened. One minute I was running, then too tired to keep going, I hid in the bushes. They would find me. They could smell me. I grasped the blade tight and squeezed my eyes tightly closed. They were getting closer and they’d find me, kill me, stab me through like Kieron-

            But suddenly they were moving away from me. They’d passed me by. Could they not smell me?

            I dared not to move for several long moments. I wasn’t sure how long I cowered there but finally I twisted as much as I could and managed to cut through whatever it was holding my wrists hostage. I bit back a yelp as whatever it was came away and I brought my wrists in front of me. They were red with blood and raw with pain. My fingers were pale and numb.

            The blade glowed as I held it. I stared at it and then dropped it because all I could think of was the blade which had stabbed through Kieron like he was nothing.

            Immortal or not, he couldn’t…live through something like-

            No. No.

            Stop.

            I had to get back to him. Had to help him. Couldn’t leave him like that. Asshole or not, he’d come after me even when I’d stormed away. Even though he hated me.

            He’d done that for _me_.

            The screamers had gone the other way. I couldn’t hear them, couldn’t even hear their growls. They’d long since disappeared.

            I climbed out of the bushes and darted back in the direction I’d come.

            It didn’t take me long to reach him. I’d run in a mostly straight line when I’d been bound and easily found the small clearing.

            He was still on the ground. Bloody. Motionless. Pale.

            I raced toward him. Grabbed him. Rolled him over. Shook him.

            “Wake up - hey! Kieron!”

            Silence. Deafening silence. All around me.

            Kieron was too still. Too quiet.

            He was immortal - he didn’t die. Couldn’t die. So why was he so quiet?

            “Kieron!” I tapped my fingers against his pale cheek.

            He was cold to the touch.

            But then it was chilly, right?

            The sun was coming up. The screamers had gone a different way. They’d taken Kieron down - they wouldn’t be back this way, right?

            “Kieron - c’mon, you - wake up!”

            I didn’t want to hurt him but he wasn’t waking up. I rammed a hand against his chest, sure the pain would rouse him or startle him or… _something_.

            But he did nothing.

            “Kieron? Please. Wake up. Get up. Kieron!”

            He was immortal.

            _Immortal_.

            He couldn’t die. Wouldn’t die.

            He said he didn’t _get_ to die.

            So why wouldn’t he wake up?

            Too still. Too quiet. Too - no.

            I prodded his cheek. Flicked his forehead. Pried open his eyes to find a dark and unresponsive color. Let his eyes close again. Cursed him. Slapped him. Shook him. Punched him.

            Still too quiet, too still, too-

            “Damn it, c’mon! You’re freaking immortal, asshole! Wake _up_!”

            I refused to check for a pulse. There was no need to, right? He was immortal. He wasn’t dead. He couldn’t die. Therefore there was no need to see a rise and fall of his chest. There was no need to feel for a pulse. There was no need to _worry_.

            So why did I feel like I couldn’t breathe?

            My fault.

            All my fault.

            “Please,” I whispered, feeling desperate because I didn’t know how long I sat there, waiting, trying to get a response but still receiving none. I felt my resolve wearing thin. “Kieron, please. I’m sorry. I’m _sorry_ , just…wake up. Please. I’m sorry. My fault, I know, just…Kieron?”

            Nothing.

            He was cold. Unresponsive. Bloody. Unmoving. _Silent_.

            _Dead_.

            Except…he was immortal. Couldn’t die. Wouldn’t die.

            My fault.

            “Why’d you come back,” I hissed at him. “Why’d you come after me, you freaking…you bastard!” I punched his shoulder. “I hate you, you asshole! Why would you..? Damn it!”

            I took a deep breath but it did nothing to steady me. I felt lost. Alone.

            _My fault_.

            “Please get up…”

            The sun was starting to rise. He looked much worse in the light. Looked more… _dead_.

            My eyes burned as I glared at him. “You liar!” Suddenly I was so angry I couldn’t see straight. “You fucking liar! You lied to me, damn it! You said you were immortal!”

            Immortal. Not mortal.

            Not _dead_.

            “I hate you! Go head! Be dead, see if I care! You’re an asshole anyway!”

            An asshole who came back for me. Came after me when I stormed away.

            Saved me after I’d sealed my fate.

            _Died_.

            Because of _me_.

            _For_ me.

            “You lied,” I accused, my eyes burning. It was getting worse. “You _lied_.”

            I rested my palms on the ground and leaned forward, taking shaky breaths much like Kieron had been before I’d run off. Before I’d left him behind. Left him to _die_.

            Hadn’t even _looked back_.

            Not fair. Damn it, _not fair_.

            My fault. Mine.

            My choice, my fault, my fate - not his.

            Asshole or not, I didn’t want him to _die_. Especially not when it was _my fault_.

            And then, because I was tired and sore and betrayed, I let the tears slide down my face.

            He lied to me.

            He wasn’t immortal.

            He was _dead_.

            Why now? He’d been hurt before, back at that abandoned building. He’d been fine. And again at my apartment, bleeding out on my floor, staining my carpet and walls…but he’d been _fine_.

            Why now?

            Now when it was _my fault_ …

            “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I don’t hate you. I’m sorry.”

            I was pathetic. I knew that. I was pathetic and I’d gotten someone killed and all I could do was sit here and…and…

            But I couldn’t help it. I was tired. I hurt everywhere. My lungs ached. My eyes burned. My heart was in my stomach and I felt like I was going to puke.

            Not fair, _damn it_.

            I’d gotten someone killed. _Killed_.

            Liar. Liar. Liar!

            Not immortal.

            _Dead_.

            I wasn’t sure why it bothered me so much. He hated me. I wasn’t fond of him either. It was good he was gone - right? Except it didn’t feel like it. It _hurt_.

            More than I would have though, it hurt.

            And because I was too exhausted to care what it looked like and I didn’t know what else to do, I curled up next to him, clutched the knife, and allowed myself to release the tears which blurred my vision and burned my eyes.

            Because someone was dead.

            Kieron was _dead_.

            My fault.

            No one could survive something like that. Not even Kieron. Too many vital organs in the way. Too much blood loss. Too much…it was just _too much_.

            “I’m so sorry…”

            I hadn’t meant to get anyone killed.

            It hurt, damn it.

            He was cold. So was I.

            Maybe if I leaned into him, we could both be warm…


	16. Weakened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hmm... so maybe Kieron's not a liar after all. Perpetuals certainly have a peculiar way of healing.

Chapter Sixteen: Weakened

 

 

 

I wasn’t sure what woke me from a sleep I’d never meant to have, but consciousness slid across my mind like a snake. I grumbled beneath my breath because I felt so _tired_. My body ached. My wrists and shoulder _throbbed_. There was a weight in my chest I didn’t quite recognize but a part of me didn’t want to wake up. Crickets were chirping in my ear, though, so I finally blinked my eyes open and found myself staring toward the trees, resting on my side.

            Where was I?

            Oh. Right. Ethereal. Kieron had talked me into coming back here because-

            Kieron.

            I swallowed and closed my eyes again. Those screamers had killed him. He wasn’t immortal at all. He’d lied and now he was _dead_. It was my fault. He’d come after me and I hadn’t even looked _back_.

            I was alone in a place I didn’t understand and I had no way to get back home. I was being hunted and he told me to go to Ashere’s, but I didn’t know where that _was_. I had no idea what to do next or where to go from here.

            I hadn’t been too fond of the guy, but…I didn’t want him dead. He’d hated me but being dead? It wasn’t right.

            Someone was talking. I snapped my eyes open again and listened.

            “…off…” they were saying. “Human…off.”

            Human?

            “…Kieron?” I murmured. Because he _always_ called me human. Never used my name.

            My pillow moved and rumbled.

            Wait - pillow? Moving? I lifted myself up enough to turn my head and peer down at my pillow, which happened to be Kieron’s chest. It was moving.

            _Moving_.

            I looked up toward his face. Blue eyes were watching me curiously. “Kieron?” I murmured, disbelieving.

            “Who else would it be?” He groaned and allowed his head to rest back on the ground from where he had lifted it up to look at me. “Could you get off? I’m sore as hell and you’re not making it any easier to breathe.”

            I jumped away as though he’d hit me, staring at him. He didn’t look as pale but his clothes were still covered in blood. There were dark circles under his eyes and he looked exhausted. “Kieron? You’re okay?”

            “Sure. Let’s go with that.” His eyes slid closed and he took in deep breaths.

            Without thinking, I reached out and prodded his stomach, where the tear in his shirt was. He flinched and opened his eyes, glaring at me.

            “There’s no hole,” I whispered, amazed.

            “No, but _poking_ it doesn’t make it hurt any less,” he groused. “Alpha, wasn’t using me as a pillow bad enough? Your head is heavy, you know.”

            “You were dead,” I accused, narrowing my eyes at him. “You said you were immortal but you were _dead_!”

            “I was _healing_ ,” he said, giving me a look as he took in a deep breath and released it slowly. “My _lungs_ were being healed. Kind of hard to heal them when you’re using them.”

            “So you _died_? To _heal_?”

            “It’s complicated. Can we talk about this later? Breathing isn’t exactly easy right now.”

            I sat there, watching him. “You wouldn’t wake up,” I murmured. I’d tried to wake him up, I really had, but he hadn’t flinched or moved in the slightest, and he’d been so _quiet_ …

            “Not fun being awake when you’re healing,” he pointed out. He swallowed and shot me a look. “I thought I told you to run?”

            “I did,” I said guiltily. “I ran and I didn’t look back.”

            “Then why are you _here_?”

            “You were _dead_! And I just left you there!”

            “And?”

            “What do you mean, _and_?” I glared at him. “I thought you were _dead_ , as in _not waking up_!”

            “Human. Why are you here?”

            “I…I don’t know.” I bowed my head and sighed, shrugging. “I guess I just…couldn’t leave you like that. I wanted to help. But…”

            “Well…that was a risk,” he said with a faint chuckle. “But I guess I should say thanks? For trying?”

            “You said ‘bye’,” I said, glaring at him. “Why would you say ‘bye’ if you weren’t going to _die_?”

            I had been thinking about it for a while now, how things had gone down when he’d been stabbed. He’d said ‘bye’.

            He paused and grimaced as he shifted somewhat. “Can we talk about this later? It’s bad enough trying to get my muscles to work correctly without dealing with your questions.”

            “Fine. How are you feeling?”

            “Gah, more questions. I’m okay. Not dead. Sore. Tired.”

            “So, is that how you always heal? In my apartment, did you die there too?” I couldn’t help it - I had to know.

            “No.”

            “Then…?”

            “It depends on what needs fixed.” He started to push his arms under him, leveraging himself up. After a moment, he was in a sitting position. “My lungs did this time. Therefore, no breathing. Lots of internal damage. Therefore, no beating heart to make it worse. I’m immortal but not invincible. Takes time to heal.”

            “And you couldn’t _tell_ me this before I-”

            “What could I have said? I’m lucky I stayed awake and alert as long as I did before I passed out and shut down.” He shrugged like it was no big deal and then winced, rubbing at his chest. “Now why did you come back? You were free.”

            “Free? The screamers, um…lost me? I mean, they passed me and…didn’t know I was there.”

            “Yeah. That’s what that knife is good for.”

            I frowned. “Then why just _now_ give it to me? I could have had this at home!” Then I never would have had to come back here in the first place and Kieron wouldn’t have _died_ …err… _healed_.

            “Doesn’t work for too long. Just activated it last night.” Kieron prodded his stomach and groaned. “Hell, I’m not gonna be able to move right for days.”

            “Activated?”

            “Don’t you _ever_ run out of questions?” he hissed, sending me a sharp look. “Things will be answered if you just shut up and do as I say. Got it?”

            I glared at him but nodded. Honestly I was too thankful he was alive to really argue with him. I wasn’t entirely sure where the massive sense of relief came from, but it was there, on the forefront of my mind as I watched him prop himself up against the nearest tree. He started trying to get his feet under him.

            “Let me help,” I said when he almost fell over. Clearly his legs weren’t ready to move yet, and if the expression on his face was anything to go by, I’d say standing straight wasn’t in the cards. It must have been pulling painfully at his stomach and chest, not to mention his back.

            I grabbed his arm, helped steady him. He tried to jerk his arm away but wound up staggering. I hauled him toward me because I was sure I was a lot more soft than that tree he was standing against.

            I drew one of his arms around my neck and shoulders. “Hang onto me,” I said. “I can help you.”

            He allowed it, surprisingly. He allowed me to grip his arm, his clothes, and lean him toward me as we stepped out of the center of the clearing, away from the giant bloodstain on the ground, and moved toward a thicker patch of trees.

            “Duffel,” Kieron murmured, gesturing with a small lilt of his head toward a thick patch of brambles. Ah, crap. He must have hid it there before….well, I wasn’t going to think about that. I allowed him to lean against a tree as I reached into the brambles and came out with thorns kissing my skin. I dropped the bag on the ground.

            “What’s in here? Anything that can help you?” I asked as I began to rummage through it.

            “No,” Kieron said tiredly. “Not really. Just…give me a change of clothes. It’s time to dispose of these.”

            Yes, it was definitely time because his current clothes were covered in blood. I pulled out some clean clothes - Etherian-style, of course - and put it in his hand. He frowned at me but then started to take his shirt off.

            I wanted to turn away because, you know, changing was supposed to be _private_ but I could see how much the simple task was hurting Kieron. His eyes were screwed shut, a muscle kept jumping in his jaw and he kept one arm wrapped around his middle.

            There was a dark mark on his stomach. It must have been where the hole was. The skin around it was crusted with dried blood and while the mark looked bad, like a mega-bruise with a white line in the middle of it, at least it was healed and no longer gaping and spewing blood. I was sure there was a similar mark on his back.

            “Kieron, maybe I should-” I started, trying to be helpful and ignore the churning in my stomach as I stared at the bruising.

            “I’m fine,” Kieron snapped at me, huffing out a breath. The shirt slid over his head and down his sides and arms. It was a loose cotton, probably very comfortable. His left arm stayed pressed against his upper stomach, where the wound had been.

            Next his fingers scrambled with the button of his jeans. Err, well, _my_ jeans. I stepped back, not wanting to intrude.

            After a few frustrated grunts, I glanced back at Kieron to see him looking fairly refreshed and ready to go. He looked a hell of a lot better than he had when I’d come back for him. He was also more _lively_. No pun intended.

            “Feel better?” I couldn’t help but ask as I gave him a cursory glance, scanning him from head to toe and back again.

            Kieron rolled his eyes and leaned back against the tree. Standing was obviously a struggle for him. He kept sagging toward the ground like his legs were made of Jell-o. “You shouldn’t have come back.”

            “Well, _sorry_ , but I couldn’t just…” I bit down on my lower lip and sighed. “I couldn’t just leave you like that in good conscience.”

            He sighed too. “They could have come back.”

            “They didn’t.”

            “Yeah, I see that.”

            “Why did you say bye?”

            “Because I didn’t expect you to come back.” He said it so casually, like it was a common thought for him to think people would just leave him behind. “And I expected…well, it doesn’t matter.”

            “What doesn’t matter? What did you expect?” I asked, because I wanted to know.

            “Nothing.”

            “Kieron.” I narrowed my eyes at him.

            He shrugged and then seemed to regret the movement as he closed his eyes and took a slow breath. When he opened them again, he glanced at me. Locked his gaze on my face. “I expected them to take me with them. That’s all.”

            “Them? The screamers? Why would they-”

            “I’m a perpetual. They know I don’t die. They know that wouldn’t kill me.” A pause. “At least not for long. I’m just surprised I woke up here and not…well. It doesn’t matter.”

            “Why would they take you with them? Why wouldn’t you wake up here?” He’d started talking about it - he couldn’t just stop in the middle and expect me not to ask questions.

            “Let’s just say we don’t get along and leave it at that.” He pushed away from the tree and seemed more steady on his feet. He was walking slowly, though, as he moved toward the duffel. “You still have the knife?”

            I nodded and gestured toward the bloodstain on the ground. The knife rested next to it. “Why’d you give it to me? And what do you mean, activated?”

            He shook his head. “I didn’t think I’d be with you right now. Tried to give you something to get you safely to Ashere’s, but by now it’s probably worn off.”

            “What has? What do you mean?”

            He slid his gaze toward me. “The screamers told you nothing?”

            “Oh. They did, yeah. They said something out bonding? How you haven’t bonded with me yet? What’s that mean?” That was something I really wanted to know. “They acted like it was important.”

            Kieron shrugged. “It kind of is,” he admitted slowly.

            “Then…? What is it? Why’s it important? What’s it have to do with me?” I was so confused but then, that was nothing new. I was still just relieved he was alive and really _was_ immortal, and I wasn’t alone anymore.

            I hadn’t realized how much I’d come to rely on him, to expect his presence. But when it had been stolen away, seemingly for _good_ , I hadn’t known what to do.

            “There’s a story behind that, but we really don’t have time for that right now. We need to get to Ashere’s.”

            “Why Ashere? Who the heck is he?”

            “A fr-”

            “A friend, yeah, I know. But _why_ do we have to get to him? What’s so special about him?”

            “He’s a friend and someone who I think can help.”

            I sighed. “Will he answer my questions?” I asked hopefully.

            He shrugged. “Dunno. Maybe. I’m hoping he can answer some of mine,” he admitted.

            “You have questions?”

            “Well, duh. I’m flattered you think I’m so smart, but I don’t know _everything_. It’s not like this is usual for me, being stuck with a human.”

            “Stop calling me human,” I muttered. “I have a name. I call you by yours. I came back for you.”

            “Yeah, after you ran off and got yourself in trouble in the first place,” he snipped.

            I flinched. “I’m sorry.”

            “Huh?” Now he seemed as confused as I did. Well, good!

            “I know it’s my fault you d-….I mean, you got hurt. It’s my fault. I know that. And I’m sorry.”

            He shook his head. “Nah,” he sighed, and looked at the ground. “I think it’s my fault.”

            Oh. My. God.

            Did Kieron just say something was his fault? Really?

            Le gasp!

            “You wanna run that by me again…How is it your fault?”

            “I shouldn’t have, um…” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “When I said those things to you…about Brian. I know I was wrong to say that.” A pause. Then, quieter: “I didn’t mean to make you run off.”

            I stared. “Are you apologizing to me?” I asked with a faint smile.

            He shot me a glare. “ _No_ ,” he said indignantly. “Of course not. You’re the one who ran off. And you’re the one who made me so irritated I…that I said those things in the first place. So technically, it’s _your_ fault.”

            I grinned. “Aw, I like you too.”

            “I don’t _like you_ ,” he said as though the very idea was like admitting he abused puppies. “I’m just _stuck with you_.”

            “Yeah, but you won’t tell me why, so I’m gonna say you like me. You have a man-crush on me.”

            “I most certainly _do not_ ,” he huffed, glaring.

            “You want to hug me.”

            “I do not.”

            “You’re right, you want to _kiss_ me, not hug me.”

            “You’re delusional.”

            “You want to have hot man-sex with me.” I snickered.

            “You’re impossible.” He shook his head.

            “But you love me anyway.”

            “I do _not_ loveyou.”

            “Admit it, you do.”

            “I will kill you where you stand!” he threatened, but I noticed he hadn’t stepped close to follow through with his threat. He just stood where he was, a silent look of annoyance on his face.

            For some reason, it just made me laugh.

            God, I had actually missed this - the bickering, arguing, not being alone…

            I hadn’t realized how much until now.

            Kieron glared at me but I just smiled back at him.

            “Go on,” he prompted. “Say something else. See what happens. I dare you.”

            Ohhh, a dare.

            _Well, I accept._

            “You want to hold me and squeeze me and-“

            He flew at me with a growl and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground with an excellent view of the sky. The weight on my chest groaned and I sucked in my lost breath. Kieron rolled off me.

            “Look what you made me do,” he groaned, laying on his stomach as he rested his forehead against the ground. “I hate you even more for this.”

            I chuckled and sat up. “Hey, I didn’t tell you to tackle me. It’s not my fault you love me so much you couldn’t restrain yourself.”

            He huffed out a breath. “As soon as I can move,” he vowed, “you’re dead. Do you hear me? Dead!”

            I snickered. “Good luck with that, _Kie_.”

            “You didn’t just call me that.”

            “Oh,” I said, grinning, “but I _did_.”

            “Dead!” he threatened. “I will murder you and hide the body!”

            “No you won’t.” I patted his shoulder. He wasn’t so bad when he couldn’t move. “You _adore_ me.”

            “-murder you,” he was muttering, digging his forehead more into the ground. “Painfully. Rip you limb from limb!” A breath. “Feed you to the screamers!”

            “Now, now,” I said. “It’s okay to love me. I’m very loveable. I’m more squeezable than a pillow.”

            “Dead! You will die! Say another word and I’m gonna ram _you_ through with a blade!”

            I didn’t like the thought because it made me remember the blade stabbing out of his stomach, but I still snickered because seeing how much this was bothering him was very amusing. He was annoyed but he could do nothing about it because he felt sore. Well, it was nice to know at least _something_ could stop him…even if it was just for a little while.

            Not permanently. I was actually happy about that. Not permanently.

            Not dead.

            _Immortal_.

            “I will stop on one condition,” I told him, touching his shoulder again because he’d gone quiet. He groaned and rolled over, now resting on his back.

            Blue eyes narrowed at me suspiciously. “What?” he muttered.

            I grinned. “I will stop saying how much you _adore_ me if you tell me why I’m here…why I’m being hunted, what it has to do with you, and what the hell you meant by _activating_ that knife and you have to tell me what they meant about _bonding_.”

            He glared.

            “Take it or leave it,” I said. “Or I can go into explicit detail how much you want to-”

            “Death,” he hissed, rolling his eyes. “You will die.”

            “Then tell me, if you want me to stop.”

            He huffed out a breath. “I told you,” he hissed, “I don’t have all the answers.”

            “But you have some of them. I want to know.”

            “Human…is now really the time?”

            “Of course. You can’t smack me for asking when you’re down on the ground like that.” I smirked at him. “I actually prefer it this way.”

            “Oh, yeah,” he scoffed, “of _course_ you prefer me downed after I practically _died_ for you. Yes, _of course_.”

            I flinched, the smile sliding off my face. “I said sorry,” I said lamely.

            “Oh, right, _sorry_. ‘Sorry about the blade through you’,” he mimicked.

            “I am! I didn’t ask you to come after me!”

            “Well, I didn’t ask you to get caught in the first place! You’re the one who ran off!”

            “Because you were being an ass!”

            He glared at me.

            I glared at him.

            Finally he just laughed. “Alright,” he sighed, “give me a day to breathe right and I’ll tell you about the bonding.”


	17. Bring on the Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some creepy dude with red eyes decides to show up. Because, you know, it's not like you have enough problems already.

Chapter Seventeen: Bring on the Rain

 

 

 

Daylight tickled my face, bringing me out of my trance as I looked up. The sun peeked through the trees and into the clearing like a shadow waiting to play. Kieron was across from me, leaning against a tree, his head tilted to the side and his mouth barely parted. I was sure his neck would be stiff later but he would probably still be stiff all over, so I didn’t think it mattered.

            The immortal was asleep and while I wanted answers, I was content to let him sleep because he was starting to really look better. His cheeks had a slight flush to them, hinting at the blood beneath the skin, and his lips weren’t that pale color anymore. I wasn’t sure exactly _what_ color it had been, but now, as I thought back on it, it hadn’t been _right_

            Of course, nothing about that night had been _right_.

            I started it, of course. A chain of events leading up to my near-miss and Kieron’s downfall.

            I met Brian and asked so many questions Kieron got so irritated he wound up saying those things to me - how he _hated_ me, how I was _pathetic_ \- and I’d stormed away in an angry huff, as was my right.

            Except I’d walked into a trap, pretty much. One minute there were no screamers, then there was one, then two. One minute something sharp had bound my wrists behind my back and the next minute, I was being shoved to the ground and Kieron was getting stabbed through-

            No.

            I wasn’t going to finish that thought.

            It was in the past now - it didn’t matter. He was fine, I was fine, everything was _fine_.

            Right?

            A cool breeze kissed my cheek and ruffled my hair. Thunder clapped in the distance and I mentally groaned. It was going to storm and soon, because as I looked up, I noticed the backward leaves. The trees were preparing for rain.

            It was probably time we did, too.

            I slid my butt across the ground and lightly prodded his shoulder, half expecting him to lash out or something, but he just mumbled a few times and then opened his eyes. After a brief moment of initial panic, his eyes widened and he shot his gaze toward me as though I was what he’d been looking for.

            Pfft. Yeah right.

            And if I was, he was probably just seeing if I was still there and hadn’t run off. I wasn’t leaving again any time soon - not with how the screamers were still after me and he had agreed to answer some of my questions.

            “Kieron, we have to go,” I told him, grabbing his arm. I stood and tried to pull him up with me but he wasn’t trying to help.

            “Stay here,” he said in a quiet whisper, like he was out of breath already. He’d had hours to heal by now - Almost twelve, actually. It had just turned night when he had woken the first time - after I thought he was _dead_ \- and now it was probably going around eleven or noon.

            I wasn’t sure. I’d never been blessed with awesome timing skills or an internal clock.

            “We have to go,” I urged him again. I gripped both his arms and pulled. After a second he managed to get his feet under him enough to stand and lean against the tree, looking spent. He must have been so tired. I almost felt bad for the guy.

            Heh.

            _Almost_.

            “C’mon - Kieron, you’re heavy!” I shifted his weight as I threw one of his arms around my shoulders and started a slow hobble which wouldn’t get me anywhere in time for the rain to fall. “A little help would be nice!”

            “Human, I’d _love_ to help,” Kieron seethed, “except I’m too stiff and sore to even _think_ about moving.”

            I rolled my eyes. “It’s gonna storm and I want us somewhere safe.” I paused and chewed on my lower lip before I and then decided to just go with it. “I want to find a place safe from the rain and the screamers.”

            He shot me a weary glance. Dark rings hung around his eyes like the rings of Saturn. He’d been pale and had rings before, except he showed it more now. He looked so _exhausted_.

            In that moment, I didn’t envy him, not in the slightest. Sure, I wasn’t the best any anything, but at least I didn’t have to worry about healing like this and being mega-tired.

            Finally he sighed and closed his eyes as I kept making us hobble forward, through fallen branches, upturned roots, and curly vines stuck in small bushes. Somehow, through all this, I only tripped once. I could remember when I’d first gotten here and how walking at night had definitely had me lacking a few of the finer qualities - like being able to see things.

            I tripped again and almost twisted my ankle. It hit a patch of slick mud at the base of a tree we were passing and I slipped, causing my foot to lurch sideways momentarily. Pain sparked in my ankle but it wasn’t too intense, mostly just annoying, so I kept walking.

            “Anywhere good up here, Kieron?” I asked, because I had no idea where we were going and the thunder was getting closer. It clapped again and birds flew from one of the trees off to the side.

            “Dunno,” he admitted. “Just find a good clearing - not too close to really tall trees but covered enough by leaves or something that would stay there and not get _completely_ soaked.”

            I shrugged which was kind of hard with the way his arm was around my neck and shoulders. Of course, I had been the one to put them there…but still, he hadn’t moved away.

            “Are you feeling better?” I asked just to break the silence.

            Plus, I wanted to know.

            “Not really,” he groused beneath his breath. Then, a little louder: “It’ll heal. I’ll be fine.”

            His arm was heavy and hot against my skin. It was at that moment I realized he wasn’t just warm-blooded and naturally like a walking blanket, but he was sick. I didn’t know _how_ sick but I knew he was.

            His breaths were too deep, his eyes seemed like they kept watering, his expression was too taught and he just seemed so _tired_ …

            Plus he was warm.

            I pressed the back of my hand against his sweaty forehead. When had he started to sweat?

            He brought his left arm up - the one not around my neck and shoulders - and batted my hand away. I glared at him and sighed, releasing a huff of air.

            “You have a fever,” I told him.

            A pause. He kept watching me.

            I found myself looking into his eyes without meaning to. It was just that they were there, _right there_ , and I happened to be looking that way. He was blocking my view, that was wall.

            “Do you know what a fever is?” I couldn’t help but ask.

            Had ‘Brian’ told him about that, too?

            I wasn’t sure why but I felt angry every time I thought about him. I mean, I’d asked, right? And Kieron had told me Brian was who introduced him to pizza. He’s known Brian for a while. Maybe it was his family who had taught Kieron the art of drawing.

            A breathy sigh. “Yes, I know what a fever is,” he said like it should have been obvious.

            “Did Brian te-….never mind. “Kieron?.” He hadn’t looked away and neither had I. “Are you okay? How do you feel?”

            “I told you, human,” Kieron started with a grimace and then a groan as his body stiffened next to me, against me, his arm slung over my shoulder… “I’m fine. I don’t die. I _can’t_ die.” He looked away.

            “Why do you always sound so bitter when you talk about it? And what did they mean, _bonding_?”

            “Hu-”

            “You promised,” I accused, glaring at him. I looked around and remember why I was walking and was this close to Kieron in the first place. It was a small clearing but a clearing nevertheless and I led Kieron toward the far edge of it. Trees towered over us but they weren’t the same tall giant I could remember seeing before.

            Kieron leveraged himself into a sitting position, leaning against a tree for support.

            “What did they mean?” I asked as soon as I could. “What is a bond?”

            I knew what a bond was - a human bond, anyway. But one from where he was from? Not so much. It was more confusing than anything and I wanted answers.

            Kieron sucked in a slow breath and released it quickly. The air raced out of his nose.

            “I will tell you about those when I can think straight and breathe right,” he told me, much like he had before. “Give me another night and-”

            I sighed. “You’re hopeless,” I murmured. After a brief pause, a small smile split my mouth as my lips curled upward slightly in a movement I couldn’t quite control. “Alright…since you won’t answer that right now…”

            Kieron narrowed his eyes at me, clearly suspicious.

            “What?” he asked very slowly.

            “Well,” I said before I couldn’t help it anymore and I threw my head back, laughing. “Well, since you won’t tell me about the _bond_ right now…I guess I will just have to learn about _Ashere_ instead.”

            A growl sounded from his direction.

            I shrugged. “What? “ I asked innocently, rocking back on my heels. I’d been kneeling next to him since we’d stopped but now my ankles were groaning in protest so I allowed myself to fall back somewhat and sit on my ass, watching him, waiting for a response.

            Annoyance flickered across Kieron’s face. “What do you want to know?” he grouched.

            “What’s a bond, or whatever, and…” I bit down lightly on my lower lips. “And why Ashere? What’s so special about him that you keep trying to take me to him?” Now I narrowed my eyes in a sharp glare as a thought struck me. “You’re planning to get rid of me, aren’t you? That’s why you’re taking me there! You want to fucking _pawn me off_!”

            “Human - you’re blowing this way out of proportion.”

            “No, I’m not!”

            “It’s good business.”

            “So you’re gonna _sell_ me? Huh? Is that it?” I wanted to punch him. So bad, I wanted to punch him. In his weakened state, there wasn’t much he could about it so why not punch him?

            Except I didn’t. I just let my hands clench into fists at my sides. He was going to sell me - get rid of me. Pawn me off on Ashere.

            He’d come back for me, gotten _stabbed_ for me, and now he was just going to drop me off somewhere and walk away?

            I wasn’t sure why that bothered me so much, but it did.

            “Ashere, if you must know, is my friend, another perpetual, and has helped me before. I’m hoping he has answers because short of…” He trailed off in thought thinking but then shook his head. “I guess it doesn’t matter.”

            “Fine,” I mumbled a little angrily. “Let’s go to Ashere’s.”

 

 

 

Kieron seemed like his old self - on the outside, at least. He was walking better now, and without help. The dark rings had mostly disappeared from around his eyes and he had a little more color in his face. His fever was gone - I’d checked earlier, when he’d woken up, before he could bat me away. He seemed a lot better.

            I would have thought he was completely healed if it weren’t for the way he kept wincing when he moved a certain way, or had that muscle jumping in his jaw.

            As it was, we were moving again, heading to Ashere’s. According to Kieron, it wasn’t far, it was just a matter of taking the time to walk there. I wasn’t sure what to expect when we met the guy. Kieron had been mentioning him for a while now, but now I was actually going to be meeting him…and apparently dropped off and left there with him.

            The anger from before hummed through me like evil background noise. He was just going to leave me.

            He didn’t like me and I didn’t really like him and I could remember _wanting_ him to leave, or for me to just _not_ be with him, but now…it was different, it seemed. I wasn’t sure why, but it was and I didn’t want to just be left somewhere. If he’d gone through all the trouble to keep me alive so far, and had saved me from those two screamers, why was he going to just drop me off now?

            “How much further?” I mumbled, hoping to push those thoughts away. We were going to Ashere’s either way and I planned on getting my questions answered.

            “Not much,” Kieron told me, sliding his gaze my way momentarily before he looked away again. “You’re pissed.”

            I shot him a look.

            “You are,” he said, like I was trying to refute him. “Why?”

            “Does it matter?”

            He shrugged. “Tell me, don’t tell me, I really don’t give a damn.”

            I rolled my eyes. “Of course you don’t. And yes, I’m pissed. At _you_.”

            “Me?” His brows furrowed. “What did I do? I mean lately.”

            “You won’t answer my questions even though you _said_ you would, and now you’re just going to pawn me off on someone else like I’m an unwanted pet or something.” I shrugged and glared at him. “Kind of hard _not_ to be mad. At you.”

            “You’re taking it personally.”

            “How else would I take it?”

            “Why do you care? It’s not like you like me or anything.”

            I shrugged because honestly, I didn’t know why it mattered, why it was bothering me. I just knew it _was_ and it irritated me all the more because I couldn’t figure out _why_.

            “You’re just going to leave,” I muttered as we kept walking. He wasn’t leading me anymore but walking sort of next to me, though still a little ahead, looking back at me somewhat.

            “You can’t tell me you actually want me to _stay_ with you,” he said, grimacing, either at the thought or how he was healing, I didn’t know which.

            “I don’t,” I snapped. “I don’t really care anymore. You’re an asshole so it’s not like it’s anything new.”

            He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Not this again.”

            “Again? What do you mean _again_?”

            “You’re a girl, aren’t you?” he asked, and I stared at him. “Aren’t you? One minute you’re _fine_ and then the next, you’re pissed at me. Pick a damn emotion and stick with it.”

            With that, he quickened his face and walked ahead.

            I sighed and stayed at my own pace, lagging behind.

            Being left already.

            And I’d be left again, soon.

            “You’re an asshole,” I muttered under my breath.

            He was a good few yards ahead of me and I hadn’t spoken loud at all, my words merely an exhale, but Kieron sighed, stopped, and turned to face me. He leaned against a tree, either because he wanted to or because he had to. I wasn’t sure which. He was clutching at his stomach still, and he kept his back pretty rigid, but other than that, he seemed a lot better.

            “What?” he huffed, narrowing his eyes at me.

            I stopped in front of him. “What do you mean, _what_?”

            “You’re going to be pissy the whole time, aren’t you?” he accused.

            “Hey! I didn’t ask you to bring me here, you know!” I glared at him. “And yeah, I’m pissy! Because you’re gonna just pawn me off on someone and-”

            “What?” he hissed, his eyes flashing dangerously. “And _what_?”

            I swallowed. Said nothing. Shook my head.

            “I don’t want to stick with you,” he told me. “Truth me told, you’re a health hazard. I don’t want a freaking _sword_ intruding in my vital organs again, thanks very much.”

            “You can’t die,” I grumbled, because that was what he kept telling me.

            “I can’t,” he agreed, and there was that bitter, tired sigh again, “but it still _hurts_.”

            “How bad?” I wasn’t sure where the question came from, but it had already left my lips so there wasn’t much I could do about it except wait for an answer.

            Kieron just stared at me for a moment, and then turned is gaze away, shoving off the tree. “We should keep moving,” he murmured.

            I sighed and adjusted the bag over my shoulder. I was carrying the duffel simply because, while Kieron looked better and he said he was fine, I didn’t quite believe it, at least not entirely. And like a _nice_ person, I’d offered to carry it.

            Kieron hadn’t argued.

            “So…it hurts, huh?”

            He shot me a glare. “Yes, human, getting _stabbed_ hurts.”

            I glared back. “I didn’t mean that - err, at least not specifically. I just mean…when you…get hurt…it hurts, right?”

            “Kind of the definition of _hurt_.”

            “I just…how bad?”

            “You are seriously asking about _pain_? About _how bad_ something _hurts_?” He shot me an incredulous look but I simply shrugged in response.

            I wasn’t sure where the questions had come from but it was something to fill the time until we got to Ashere’s, and I could potentially learn a little more about Kieron along the way.

            Sounded like a plus to me.

            “If you’re immortal and heal fast and whatever, do you feel pain like, erm…like I would?”

            He slowed, stopped, and turned to face me. A scowl overtook his face. “You’re not gonna stop until you know if it _hurts_ to be _hurt_.” He barked out a laugh but it wasn’t pleasant at all - mostly bitter, annoyed and maybe even a little angry. “Yes, human. It hurts. Like hell, it hurts. Except you can’t pass out. No, there’s no passing out, blacking out, losing consciousness…at least not for long.”

            “What do you mean? You passed out.”

            “I _died_ ,” he corrected with a sharp look. “Let’s call it what it is. I _died_. Or, more accurately, I _shut down_.”

            “Shut down?” I’d never heard it phrased quite like that before.

            “I’m sure you’re familiar with how the human body works,” he said, like he was irritated, his hands making odd little gestures to go along with what he was saying. “After you lose a certain amount of blood or take so much damage to your body, your body starts to shut down. The organs stop. The brain stops. Everything just…stops. Shuts down. And then it’s lights out.”

            “So…is that…what happens to you?” It didn’t sound pleasant and it was making me a little sick to my stomach. I’d never been a fan of blood and now he was talking about organs and dying and…well, I just didn’t like it.

            But I’d asked, so I was going to get the answers.

            He shrugged. “Sometimes - if it’s severe.”

            “What constitutes as ‘severe’ to you?”

            He rolled his eyes. “I’d say being rammed through with a sword about covers it.”

            “Oh.” A pause. “I’m sorry about-”

            “Human, shut up.”

            I shot him a nasty glare. “You need to stop order-”

            He slid forward, clamped his hand over my mouth, and shoved me sideways, into the trees a little more. I wanted to argue, bite his hand, kick his shin… _something_ , but instead I just allowed him to maneuver us backward and through the trees.

            I was about to ask what was happening when Kieron suddenly stiffened and was then forced away from me. I startled as a violent force shoved us apart and I was sent flying to the dirt-covered ground while Kieron was shoved into a tree, his back smacking into it. A figure held him there, an arm bent in front of Kieron’s neck, shoving upward. Kieron’s breaths grew abnormal as his fingers clawed into the bark of the tree.

            “Hey, what are you - Kieron!” I darted forward as fast as I could and tried to ram into the figure, but without even looking up, the figure seemed to know I was there. Its free hand lifted and shoved me aside like I was nothing. I skidded into the ground, rolled twice, and then sat up and groaned, rubbing at my head.

            Kieron was coughing. I was mostly on the other side of the tree he was up against, having been thrown that way and to the right, so I couldn’t see his face or really much of him at all - save for his left hand, part of his left shoulder, and his left leg - but if the way his fingers were clawing into the bark were any indication of how wrong things were, I wasn’t sure what was.

            “Let him go!” I snapped, jumping to my feet. I charged forward again.

            Same result.

            Me. Ground. Ow.

            Sat up again.

            “Leave him alone!” I called as I darted forward yet again.

            Ground. Me. Slide. Ow. Sit up.

            At least this time when he threw me, I was mostly still in front of the tree and could still see both the figure and the blue-haired immortal.

            Kieron was dropped to the ground. He’d been held up by the person’s arm against his neck but now he slipped down the bark and sucked in sharp, rugged breaths, wrapping one of his arms around his stomach, sweat breaking out across his brow.

            The figure turned.

            Faced me.

            Burning red eyes peered out of a large, dark hood and focused on me. Like I was a meal, in need of eating.

            My feet did the work for me.

            Suddenly I was next to Kieron, my fingers clawing at his arm as I tried to all but throw him on his feet. I didn’t know what that _thing_ was but it certainly wasn’t _human_. Red-freaking-eyes! And there was just something about it…something… _inhuman_. Like a presence I didn’t understand, but it rippled through me with little vibes of _wrong_.

            “Kieron! Faster!” I snapped at the blue-haired immortal, whose arm I still had. We were darting into the trees again, further into them where they seemed the darkest. If Kieron had any ideas, he wasn’t sharing. “Kieron!”

            “I’m right here, human,” he hissed, his voice right against my ear as we huddle around a thick patch of bushes and low trees, catching our breath.

            “What is…that _thing_?” I huffed out once I could breathe properly again.

            “Talk about it later,” Kieron said. “We have to get out of here _now_.”

            He snagged my wrist and before I could protest, we were running again…not only from the screamers but from whatever _that_ was as well.

            Thunder clapped overhead. Roared through the sky.

            It couldn’t get much worse, right?

            Lightning broke the sky.

            I sighed.

            _Bring on the rain_ , I thought to myself. _It might be good for us to get a little…_


	18. Ashere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kieron can be... friendly. Who knew? And what's Blaine's problem, exactly?

Chapter Eighteen: Ashere

 

 

 

I didn’t realize how much I missed civilization until we walked out of the trees and into what seemed to be a neighborhood. At least three or four houses stood before us as we followed a path out of the woods. I looked at the buildings - quaint houses, none of which were two stories tall - and then glanced at Kieron.

            “Is this where Ashere lives?” I asked hopefully, because I was tired of running and walking and I wanted answers. Kieron glanced briefly at me and then nodded his head at one of the four houses.

            “There,” he said. “Ashere lives there.”

            We moved toward the house - a small one with brown siding, few windows, and odd-looking plants growing in the front yard. Kieron stepped onto the porch and rapped his knuckles against the wooden door a few times. After a moment, the door slid opened to reveal a serious-looking purple-haired woman with dark hazel eyes. Her face was pale, her clothes not exactly _casual_ , and her eyes narrowed suspiciously at me before she took notice of Kieron. Already I was scowling at her. I didn’t like her and I’d only just seen her.

            “Hey, Blaine,” Kieron greeted almost cheerfully, “is Ash around?”

            “Kieron,” the girl said with a short nod. “Ashere will be happy to see you. Much has happened since your last visit.”

            Kieron shrugged almost sheepishly. “Yeah, sorry…been busy. Is he here?”

            “Yes, he’s here.” The girl, Blaine, pushed the door open further and Kieron stepped inside. I moved to follow after him but was stopped by Blaine sticking a hand out and shoving me back somewhat.

            “What the hell?” I grouched, glaring at her.

            Kieron turned back to face us. “He’s with me, Blaine - it’s okay.”

            Ah, so now I was _with_ him, was I? What was that about him wanting to pawn me off? But now I was with him?

            I glared at him as well.

            Blaine stepped aside with a narrow-eyed look at me. With a huff, I pushed forward and caught up to Kieron, who was turning right, down a small, narrow hallway. Blaine, thankfully, didn’t follow us.

            At the end of the hallway, Kieron knocked once on a door and then entered the room. It was dark inside and I couldn’t see much of anything, but Kieron seemed to know exactly where he was going because he maneuvered toward the small bed in the room without tripping over anything. Meanwhile, I stubbed my toes on more than one occasion and nearly toppled over once.

            I heard a hiss and then a quiet voice murmur, “Kieron?”

            Kieron gave a chuckle. “Hey, Ash,” he greeted amiably.

            _Amiably_! He was being friendly! I stared at what I could make out of his blue head of hair in the darkness. A light flipped on near the bed and I blinked, adjusting to the change. It wasn’t a very bright light but a light nevertheless and Kieron came into focus.

            My gaze traveled toward the guy sitting up in bed.

            He looked around Kieron’s age even though I was sure he was older than he looked since he was an immortal. He had flowing silver hair, the color of ash, which slid down to his shoulders in a somewhat jagged style. His face was pale, more so than Kieron’s, even, and about a dozen freckles were splotched around his eyes and nose. Bright brown eyes focused on Kieron and then slid past him to me. A frown overtook his face.

            “Who’s this?” he asked before he shot Kieron a look and then glanced back at me.

            “That’s Terry,” Kieron said, and I was so surprised he introduced me and actually used my _name_ that I stared at him, my mouth gaping. Finally I snapped out of it and moved toward the two of them, standing just behind Kieron and off to the side a little so my view of the guy in the bed wasn’t obstructed.

            “Oh.” A pause. “Why’s he here?”

            “Because he saw me,” came Kieron’s nonchalant response. I glared at him now because how could he act like it wasn’t important? It didn’t seem important to me, but he had been making a big deal about it for a while now and now he was just brushing it off?

            Well, whatever. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared a moment longer at his ear before I returned my attention to the guy in the bed, who looked thoughtful before his eyes narrowed into small slits.

            “Oh. You mean _see_ you,” he murmured.

            “Yeah,” Kieron sighed with a nod.

            “How?”

            “I don’t _know_. That’s why I need answers.”

            A nod and then a brief pause. “Kieron, you look like hell.”

            “Gee, thanks, Ashere,” Kieron muttered and while I wasn’t looking at him, I could still picture the eye roll which was given. “Blood loss. Had to heal. I’m fine now.”

            _Not true,_ I wanted to say. _You keep wincing and you’re still pale, though for you that’s probably nothing new._

            Of course, I just kept my mouth shut. What did I care?

            “Kieron…why did you bring him here?” The guy, Ashere, threw the light blanket off him and threw his legs over the side of the bed. He stood, stretched, then glanced Kieron, me, then back to the blue-haired immortal.

            “I didn’t know what else to do,” Kieron admitted slowly. “And he’s being hunted. Well…I guess we kind of both are.” He shook his head. “Never mind, that doesn’t matter. I need some questions answered and I need to know what to do with him.”

            _Yeah,_ I thought bitterly, _he’s going to leave me with you, too. Maybe you could explain that._

            Ashere scrubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t know how much I can tell you.”

            “C’mon, Ash, surely you know _something_ ,” Kieron prompted, his tone still friendly and _casual_. Why couldn’t he act like that to me? Why was he always an ass to me but to no one else?

            “I do,” Ashere agreed slowly. “But not _everything_.”

            “I’ll take something instead of nothing.”

            I nodded in agreement even though no one was paying attention to me.

            I was being ignored - again.

            First with Brian and now with Ashere.

            Why did I care?

            “Well…” Ashere sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb. “Let’s eat first. I’m starving and from the looks of it, Kie, you must be _famished_ …not to mention exhausted.”

            Kieron smiled. Actually _smiled_. “You could say that.”

            I glared at Ashere. “So what can you tell _me_ while he eats or whatever?”

            There was so much I wanted to know.

            Ashere’s gaze flickered toward me briefly. “You two should rest up and eat and then later, I’ll tell you what I know.”

            Kieron sighed and then nodded. “Alright,” he conceded, “but I’m holding you to that promise.”

 

 

 

The food looked so strange. It wasn’t rhine, which was really all I’d seen of Etherian food, but some kind of grilled meat. According to Ashere, Blaine had fixed it. We were all four seated at the table in the small kitchen - if one could classify the room as such. All that was in it was a sink, a counter, a refrigerator and a stove.

            And none of those looked exactly _normal_. Well, perhaps the counter and the sink, but I was still iffy on it.

            The meat was thick and juicy and Kieron was eating it as a sandwich, so I reached for the bread and decided to do the same with mine. At least _some_ things were normal - like bread, clothes even though they were a little different, and some of the animals. Not _everything_ was different.

            Blaine kept tossing me glares. She threw them at Kieron too, occasionally, but if Kieron noticed, he didn’t say anything, just either sat in silence or chatted briefly with Ashere. Kieron sat between me and Ashere. There were four seats at the table, one on each side so it wasn’t really like we were sitting next to _anyone_ but in the set out, Ashere and Kieron were next to each other, Kieron was next to me, and Blaine was next to me and Ashere.

            Throwing me glares.

            While I was ignored by Kieron and Ashere.

            I sighed and slumped in my seat. The meat was good but so tender it was actually kind of hard to chew because it never seemed to get any smaller.

            I took a guzzle of my glass of water. More normal things - I was glad. Blaine watched my movement then, as usual, shifted her gaze toward Kieron and watched him as well, that look still plastered on her face.

            Finally I couldn’t take it anymore.

            “Why do you keep looking at me?” I snapped at Blaine when she glanced my way again.

            My little outburst, while not really loud, caught the attention of Ashere and Kieron. They both looked at me.

            Blaine, meanwhile, was glaring even more, if that was possible. “Who are you and why are you here?” she asked suspiciously.

            “My name’s Terry and it’s none of your damn business,” I scoffed, tossing her a glare of my own.

            Blaine sneered at me. “You’re a _human_.”

            “And you’re an _asshole_ ,” I snapped back.

            Kieron sighed. “Human, you’re a guest in their house.”

            “I don’t care! And my name is _Terry_!” I shot him a glare. First he was ignoring me, and now he was trying to tell me to be _nice_ because we were _guests_? Screw that! “You can remember _their_ names, and _Brian’s_ , but my name’s too hard for you?”

            Ashere was staring at me, not necessarily glaring but close enough, and Blaine looked ready to kill me. Kieron, meanwhile, just sighed and got to his feet.

            “Thanks for the food,” he said, nodding at Blaine. “But it’s been a long day and we’re both tired.” He shot me a glare, snagged my arm, and drug me out of the small kitchen and past the living room, toward the hallway from earlier. He threw open a door and tossed me inside.

            I staggered and tripped over my feet, colliding with the bed. I sat up and glared at him. “What the fuck was that for?”

            He narrowed his blue eyes at me, something flickering to life within them before it died away. “You’re being a real _bitch_ to these people. Stop showing your ass - you’re a guest in their house!”

            “I didn’t ask to be,” I muttered. “You’re the one who brought me here, to _get rid of me_ , and these people are asking for it!”

            “Human-”

            “Terry! My name is Terry! Jesus, it’s not that hard! Two syllables! You can’t say _my_ name but you can say Ashere’s? And Brian’s? And Blaine’s?” I got to my feet and stalked toward him. I knew I couldn’t do anything to him and if we were to actually fight, I wouldn’t stand a chance, but my anger was fueling me at the moment.

            “Human,” Kieron growled, “you are a _guest_. You will treat them with respect!”

            “Yeah - I’ll do that when they return the favor,” I spat back at him.

            They were the ones being rude to _me_ and yet _I_ was the bad guy here? How’d that make sense?

            Kieron scrubbed a hand over his face. “Fine. Be an ass. But don’t expect anyone to come to your rescue when you get caught again.” With that, he turned, stalked out of the room, and slammed the door shut behind him.

            I glared at where he had been standing and crossed my arms over my chest.

            “Asshole!” I growled into the silence surrounding me.

 

 

 

I wasn’t sure how long I sat there, on that bed in that room. It felt like hours. I might have stayed there longer if I hadn’t had to find the bathroom…like _now_. Edging from the room, I moved down the hallway, opened a few doors, found only closets, and - “What are you doing in here?”

            I wasn’t aware I’d spoken the words until two pairs of eyes glanced my way and focused on me.

            Kieron was sitting on Ashere’s bed, next to the silver-haired guy. There was a faint smile on Kieron’s face but it slid off as he glared at me. “What do you want?”

            I glared at him as well. “What are you doing in here?”

            “What’s it matter? What do you want? If you just want to be an ass, get out. We’re talking.”

            “I can see that,” I drawled, further entering the room. “But you’re supposed to be answering my questions too!”

            Kieron rolled his eyes.

            “And what I want…is to find the damn bathroom.”

            Now a smirk slid across the blue-haired immortal’s face. “Past the kitchen,” he said, “on the left. Small hallway. Left side of the hallway.”

            I nodded. “Thanks - and I expect answers.” I threw the both of them another glare and then marched out of the room.

            Once I found and used the bathroom, I went back to Ashere’s room and entered without knocking. Kieron shot his gaze toward me and glared. Ashere was sitting on the bed with his back against the wall and Kieron sat in front of him, Indian style. Did they still call it that here? Hmm.

            “So…answers?”

            Kieron snorted. “You’ll get answers after you apologize to Ashere.”

            “For what?” I asked incredulously. Most of my earlier comments had been focused at Kieron and Blaine, anyway.

            “For being an ass.”

            “Well, then you should apologize to me, because you’re _always_ an ass.”

            Kieron glared. “I take it you don’t want answers then. Thanks for stopping by. Go back to your room.”

            “And if I don’t?”

            The immortal stood. “Then I guess I’ll have to make you.”

            I paused. Swallowed. Thought it over. Then said, “Sorry. I’m sorry.”

            Ashere shrugged and Kieron sat back down on the bed. When I moved to sit there too, he pointed at the floor. After shooting him a glare, I sat at his feet. The bed wasn’t too tall so I could see the two of them, but it wasn’t a very good view. Mostly only their shoulders and heads were visible - and that was just on Kieron. I could only make out Ashere’s silver head of hair.

            “Okay,” Ashere said with a sigh. “What was it you wanted to know?”

            “The bond,” I chimed in before Kieron could. If Kieron cared, he didn’t say anything, so I assumed it was what he was going to ask as well.

            Ashere shot a glance at Kieron. “Bond?” he murmured, probably just to Kieron but since I was sitting close to Kieron - at his feet, on the ground - I heard him as well.

            The blue-haired immortal shrugged. “Screamers, hunted, that sort of thing.”

            “Kieron…you’re playing with fire,” Ashere warned.

            “Yeah, I’m aware. I got up close and personal with a _sword_ \- I know I’m playing with fire.”

            “Sword?”

            “Long story. Blood loss. Yatta yatta.”

            “Bond?” I asked again, because clearly the ‘sword’ was not something Kieron wanted to talk about, and not something I really wanted to hear about…again. Seeing it had been bad enough.

            Ashere sighed and blew his shaggy bangs out of his face. “Well,” he started slowly, “as you are aware, hu-…I mean, Terry…you’re a human and Kieron, here, is, well…”

            “Immortal,” I said with a nod. I sat up on my knees to get a better view of him, resting my elbows on the bed. Kieron scowled at me but said nothing about it so I assumed it was fine. “I know he’s immortal, and this is Ethereal…AKA Atlantis…and you apparently call yourselves perpetuals. I know about all that. I just want to know _why_ I’m being hunted, _why_ I can see him, and, well…what bond?”

            Ashere scrubbed a hand over his face. “Kieron. You haven’t told him anything?”

            “I don’t see why _I_ have to,” Kieron grumbled. “As soon as I get some sleep, he’s all yours.”

            I shot a glare at him. “Asshole,” I muttered.

            “You’re leaving?” Ashere seemed surprised.

            “I don’t have time for this crap - and he’s a health hazard,” Kieron said, like it made everything okay.

            “He’s pawning me off on you,” I told Ashere.

            “Kieron…this is your responsibility.”

            “How the hell is it _mine_?” he asked, grimacing at the thought. I watched him, just as confused. “All I did was stumble across him - that’s it! My part is done. He’s safe…ish. For now. You and Blaine can take care of him from now on - I’m out.”

            “You know it doesn’t work like that. The bond-”

            “I haven’t _bonded_ with anyone,” Kieron growled, tossing a glare at Ashere, then me, and then back again.

            I got up off the floor and sat on the bed. Kieron was a little too preoccupied to notice.

            Ashere sighed and shook his head. “ _Why_ haven’t you?”

            “Why does it have to be _me_? Huh?” Kieron shot back, a growl evident in his voice. “He can see you just as well as me!”

            “I can…” I added helpfully.

            The silver-haired immortal rolled his eyes. “You found him, Kie - he saw _you_ first.”

            “So? It was an accident! A freak meeting!”

            I nodded in agreement because there was no way I would have gone through those trees if I had known what was waiting for me…what my life would become afterward.

            “You know everything is predetermined,” Ashere said, his voice calm despite the way Kieron was glaring at him.

            “Yeah, well…predetermined messed up this time.”

            “Wait - what are you talking about?” I chimed in, wedging myself into the conversation. “What do you mean, predetermined?”

            Kieron had talked about it once before - when he’d talked about ‘love’. He’d said love was predetermined and once people found each other, well… ‘love at first sight’. Except, as an immortal, a _perpetual_ , he’d told me he didn’t get to have love because his life had already been predetermined.

            So what was Ashere talking about now?

            Brown eyes focused on me. “In Ethereal, everything is predetermined.”

            “Yeah…he told me some of it,” I admitted, “just…not much? I mean, what does it have to do with _us_? Right _now_? The bond?”

            “Kieron, this would be so much easier if you’d help me.” Ashere tossed a glance at the silent immortal.

            Kieron shook his head and gestured for him to keep talking.

            “Alright…” Ashere glanced at me again and breathed out a slow sigh. “Well, as I was saying, predetermined. Technically, you’re not supposed to be able to see us - _any_ of us. The fact that you can poses a unique problem…what to do with you? The screamers are wondering the same thing.”

            “What does this have to do with me? Why do the screamers care? What’s so special about _me_?” I asked, frowning because this was just giving me a headache. None of it was making any sense. It was like he was just talking in circles and we weren’t getting anywhere.

            “It has everything to do with you,” Ashere told me.

            Kieron abruptly got to his feet. We both looked at him.

            “Kie?” Ashere asked.

            “I’m going for a walk,” he grunted before he marched out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him.

            A moment of silence passed before Ashere shook his head and glanced back at me. “As I was saying, it has everything to do with you. You can see us. You’re not supposed to be able to. There’s only been two recorded cases where…” A pause. “Where that’s happened.”

            “Where what’s happened?”

            “Where a human has been able to see us - the _real_ us.”

            “Real?”

            “You know what I mean,” he said, giving me an annoyed look. “Blue hair, other features…I’m sure you’ve noticed Kieron isn’t exactly ‘normal’.”

            “Nah - dangerous growls, wolfish features…not exactly normal,” I agreed. It actually felt good to finally be talking to someone about all of this. I hadn’t realized how much I’d wanted to discuss this stuff until now.

            Ashere offered a faint smile but it easily slid off his face. “It’s not _normal_ for you to be able to see us, but it’s not entirely _unheard of_ , either.”

            “Okay, so…well, that’s a relief.” I wasn’t a complete freak of nature, then. Alright. Good. “So what happened with the…other ‘me’s?”

            “Other ‘you’s? Well. That’s where it gets tricky.”

            “Tricky? You have a funny definition of tricky because to me, it got ‘tricky’ back when Kieron kidnapped me from my home in the middle of the night.” I rolled my eyes as I remembered that night. It felt like so long ago, now.

            Back when I’d been _normal_.

            Content.

            Happy.

            Myself.

            Back when things were easy and good and…

            But thinking about those things wasn’t going to help me now, so I shoved those thoughts aside and focused back in on Ashere, who was chewing on his lower lip, a thoughtful expression plastered on his face.

            “You make things tricky because…well, people like _you_ always mean there’s something big ahead.”

            “Big?” This was news to me. “Big how?”

            “Big as in…well. The first time one of…well, someone like you was involved….it was back around World War II.”

            “What’s that got to do with anything? Aren’t you in Atlantis? Kieron acts like he has nothing to do with…well, the ‘human’ world,” I pointed out with a small shrug. I shifted and got more comfortable on the bed because I figured I was going to be there for a while.

            “We generally don’t,” Ashere admitted with a slow nod, “but sometimes we don’t have a choice. You see, when major wars break out in your world, they sometimes diverge into ours as well. And then it becomes our problem, and…well, when perpetuals get involved in wars, it becomes a total bloodbath.”

            “I can imagine,” I murmured, already conjuring up the image of immortals going at it, shedding blood without ever really dying.

            _“There was a war. They needed more perpetuals. Now there’s too damn many of us.”_ Kieron’s words from earlier echoed through my mind. Immortals needed for war, but one couldn’t get rid of them afterward, could they?

            “But why would you guys get involved in human affairs?” I couldn’t help but ask.

            “We don’t always have a choice. Some things manage to leak over, some don’t. Like I said, the last time one of…well, one of ‘you’ were involved, was in World War II. Why did we bother? I’m not exactly sure. A few perpetuals got it in their head that they could take over the human realm - and, well, this caused more perpetuals to get involved until we wound up joining the war, perpetuals on either side.” He shrugged and chewed on his lower lip, seemingly lost in thought. Then he shrugged it off and shook his head, glancing at me again. “That war would have been won a lot sooner if perpetuals hadn’t been involved.”

            “Why would they, though? Whose side were they on?”

            “It was pretty even, actually…the sides, I mean. Some followed Hitler because, like him, they wished to take over the world and get rid of whoever they didn’t like. Of course, had they won, humans would have been eradicated, and not just a faction of them.”

            I chill crawled up my spine. “So…perpetuals were in the war? Like…fighting? How did no one notice?”

            Ashere shrugged. “Humans try to ignore or disprove things they can’t explain. It’s a natural defense mechanism.” A pause, and then he sighed. “Maybe we should wait until Kieron returns.”

            “Where’d he go? Why’d he leave? And what about the bond?”

            He still hadn’t explained the bond to me. It was like everyone kept dancing around it and kept telling me they’d talk about it later, but ‘later’ never seemed to come and I wanted answers.

            “I really think you and Kieron should talk about that.”

            “Why? He obviously doesn’t want to talk about it,” I pointed out.

            “I know. But it involves him, so…”

            “Why does it involve him? He’s pawning me off on you.” Yeah, so I was still a little sore about that…but so what? It was okay to be mad at someone for leaving you with someone else, right?

            “He _wants_ to pawn you off on me,” Ashere corrected, “but he _can’t_.”

            “How does that make it better? He wants to get rid of me.”

            “Look, human…”

            “Terry.”

            “Terry. Look.” A sigh. “Whether he likes it or not, this involves him. He knows about the bond. He’s just not telling you, and he needs to. It needs to be from him.”

            “Why?”

            He shook his head. “It needs to be from him,” he repeated, and then crawled off the bed and got to his feet. “I’ll talk to him later and make him tell you, okay? But that’s the best I can do and I think that’s enough talking for one night.”

            That was a dismissal if I’d ever heard one. I sighed and stood from the bed.

            “Talk to Kieron - I’ll send him your way when he gets back,” Ashere promised.

            And just nodded and left the room, still as clueless as ever.


	19. The Bond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting answers is harder than it looks, apparently. And basements kind of suck. Really.

Chapter Nineteen: The Bond

 

 

 

I wasn’t sure what woke me, but I found myself sitting up and peering through the darkness around me. A figure stood near the door. Light slipped in from under the frame and cast a small glow upon the figure’s outline, making him more visible to me.

            I swallowed and narrowed my eyes, squinting to get a better look. Finally, I noticed the blue in the air and breathed a sigh of relief. “Jesus, Kieron,” I hissed, throwing the covers off me. I tossed my feet over the edge of the bed and scrubbed a hand across my face.

            Kieron just remained quiet near the door. I couldn’t make out his facial expression in the darkness but I was sure he probably wasn’t amused - he never was. I stood from the bed and moved toward him, feeling my feet scratch against the floor. I’d tossed my socks before I’d gone to bed because, well, it was finally an actual _bed_ and I’d wanted to be comfortable for once.

            “That’s kinda weird,” I sighed, “just standing there…watching me sleep…”

            “Don’t flatter yourself,” he said as he pushed himself off the wall. He hit something along the wall and light flickered to life around us. I blinked stupidly as my pupils tried to retract quick enough.

            “Flatter myself? You were staring at me…probably having _those_ thoughts,” I said with a grin as I faced him. He was still along the wall, just next to the light switch.

            His eyes cut into mine. “Make no mistake, human - I _will_ kill you here, and I will hide the body.”

            I rolled my eyes. “Witnesses.”

            “Your point?”

            “Like you’re going to kill _them_.”

            “They’re on my side.”

            I scoffed and then scrubbed a hand through my ugly, tangled hair. I hated my hair. “So…any particular reason you’re stalking me in my sleep?”

            “I wasn’t st-…” He shook his head. “You wanted answers. Here I am.”

            “Wait - answers? Really?” I stared at him in all his blue-haired glory and felt a smile break across my face. “You’ll answer my questions? About the bond?”

            A scowl contorted his facial muscles but he gave a stiff nod nevertheless. “I suppose…if I must.”

            “You must,” I told him with a nod of my own.

            Then, feeling awkward because while I knew he was going to answer my questions, I didn’t know what exactly he was going to say and just standing there made me look like an idiot…so I grabbed his arm and led him toward the bed.

            I sat toward my pillows and he sat at the foot of the bed, albeit rigidly. “So,” I said with unabashed enthusiasm, “talk. Tell me.”

            He sighed and scrubbed a hand across the back of his neck, lightly tugging at his hair. “The bond…”

            “Yes - the bond. What about it? What is it? What’s it have to do with me, and, I guess, you?”

            Now he snorted and muttered something dangerous beneath his breath, but his words were too quiet and too quick for me to hear, let alone decipher. Then he shot his gaze back toward me. “You wanted to know why you’re here.”

            “Erm…yes.”

            “Alright.” A pause, and he licked at his lips, his gaze averting toward the ground, where his feet rested as he was sitting on the edge of the bed. “Alright, fine. Typically when a human appears who can…who can _see_ us, they are, well…tied to someone with a bond.”

            “Bond? Tied to someone? What do you mean?” He wasn’t making much sense.

            “The person who can see us…they’re an anomaly, but they’re not unheard of. They’re…well. Some believe they’re important.”

            “Important…?”             Kieron scoffed and shook his head. Disheveled locks fell into his face but he didn’t seem to care as he kept staring intently at the ground, his fingers beginning to claw into the covers he sat upon.

            “Important…to some. Of course, since they’re _human_ , they’re not very strong and they need protection…and guidance.”

            “Guidance?” Despite myself, I slid a little closer to him - not because I felt like it, but because he wasn’t talking too loud and it was just easier this way.

            “Yes - guidance. A bond is, well…it’s usually formed.”

            “What is it?” I asked, because that was something I really wanted to know.

            A pause, and then another headshake from the immortal. “You humans have rubber bands, don’t you?”

            “Erm…yeah, we do.”

            “Alright. Think of the bond as a giant rubber band wrapped around two people. The closer they are, the easier it is to move. The further apart they are, the more the band tightens, grows taut, starts to _crack_ …until eventually, it gives way and you’re left with nothing but a broken band of what used to be.”

            “Okay, so…what are you saying?” I asked, frowning at him. I wasn’t trying to be rude or clueless or anything, but…I just wasn’t understanding much of what he was saying. What did that really have to do with a bond? What’d it have to do with me? With him? With the screamers?

            He released a slow breath. “When the bond breaks…well, when a rubber band breaks, snaps, what happens?”

            “Depends,” I said. “Either it just breaks or you get snapped with it when it does.”

            He gave a slow nod. “The bond can be like that. When it breaks…when it’s broken…well, we don’t need to worry about that right now.” He finally glanced at me again.

            “So…the bond? Me? You?” I prompted, hoping to get the answers I actually sought.

            Apparently the bond was actually a bond - like between friends, relatives, things like that. I wasn’t sure why the screamers acted like it was such a big deal and why I could potentially be killed over it. And what’d it have to do with Kieron?

            “What’s it have to do with you?” I asked, because I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

            Kieron frowned at me and then looked away, shrugging his shoulders. “I found you.”

            “So?”

            “I saw you first, I took you in.”

            “Took me ‘in’?”

            “You’re my responsibility.”

            “I can take care of myself,” I muttered, folding my arms across my chest. I hadn’t been anyone else’s responsibility since I was kid….back when Mom was still alive.

            Kieron’s eyes flashed when he snapped his gaze back toward me. “Can you, now?”

            “Hey - not again! Back off!” I scooted backward on the bed, toward the pillows as Kieron sat on his knees, facing me, a dangerous look in his eyes and a breathy growl emanating from his throat. “You know what I mean! Kieron!”

            Kieron rolled his eyes and just like that, his eyes were back to normal and the growl was gone - at least, the non-human aspects of it.

            “So, the bond…what’s it have to do with you ‘finding’ me or whatever?” I asked after a moment of silence passed between us. It was strange because, as odd as this conversation was, it actually wasn’t awkward. More…well, not comfortable, but not awkward either. I couldn’t describe it.

            “Don’t you ever run out of questions?” he asked with a grimace.

            “Hey,” I said, “you said you’d answer them. So answer them.”

            “Aren’t you done for tonight? Unlike you, I haven’t gotten to sleep yet.”

            “Gee, whose fault is that, I wonder?” I snipped, tossing him a sour look. This was the first I’d seen him since he’d stormed out of Ashere’s room earlier, probably around three or four hours ago. Where he’d gone, I didn’t know and didn’t care to know, but he was back now and I wanted answers. “The bond, please. What’s it have to do with me and why did Ashere say _you_ have to be the one to tell me about it? FYI, he also said you can’t pawn me off, either, so you’re kinda stuck with me.”

            I wasn’t sure why there was a smirk on my face because I hated Kieron - not as much as he hated me, but whatever. Hate was hate. And now I was going to continue to be stuck with that rude, arrogant asshole, and my face felt like _smiling_?

            “Oh, am I?” he asked, watching me with this flat look in his eyes, his voice monotonous and creepy.

            At that moment I had no idea what he was thinking, what was running through his head or what he was going to do next, but a part of me felt slightly panicked. What if he snapped at any moment and went on a killing spree? There was no doubt in my mind I’d be the first mark on his list.

            “Err…yes?” I mumbled feebly, offering a weak smile but it quickly slid away when he snorted and kept watching me with those serious, flat eyes.

            Dark, flat eyes.

            Creepy eyes.

            “So, the, um…bond?” I asked, hoping to distract him and at least make him not so… _flat_ anymore. It wasn’t natural, and it didn’t even seem natural for an annoying immortal like him.

            Kieron sighed and closed his eyes. I felt like I could breathe again, now that he wasn’t watching me with those cold eyes of his. “C’mon, human - you’re not stupid.”

            I stared but he kept his eyes shut.

            “A _bond_. Rubber band. Me. You. Screamers. You figure it out.”

            He opened his eyes, watched me momentarily as I tried to break through my fractured thoughts to the answer I knew was hidden there somewhere. With a sigh, he stood from the bed, paused there a moment, and then walked out the door.

            Just _left_.

            Again.

            That son of a-

            “Oh no,” I whispered as realization hit me. I was stupid to not have seen it before but suddenly it was becoming very clear to me now. “Oh shit. Oh crap. Oh shit.”

            I jumped to my feet and hurried for the door, muttering a string of curse words which have left even demons speechless. I threw the door open, dashed down the hall, and all but ran and grabbed Kieron. Spinning the immortal to face me, I looked him in the eye and steeled myself for what happened next.

            “We share a _bond_?” I asked incredulously. “As in we’re _tied_ to each other? What the fuck does that mean?”

            Kieron easily tore free of my grasp and narrowed his eyes at me. “Yes, human, we share a bond. If you want to look at it that way, then yeah, I guess we are tied to each other. And what’s it mean?” He barked out a harsh laugh. “It means we’re screwed to hell and back because to actually _bond_ with you would be complete and utter _suicide_.”

            I shoved at him angrily. “You can’t _die_ ,” I felt like reminding him. “And no one is asking you to fucking bond with me! I don’t want you to!”

            “You think I _want_ to?” he spat back, shoving back at me. Of course, he was stronger than me.

            I’d actually put effort into shoving him back and he’d only shuffled back a step or two. He shoved at my chest and had me staggering backward, ramming my shoulder against the wall. He stalked toward me dangerously, a wolf eying its prey, waiting to strike and sink its sharp, unforgiving teeth inside the flesh of its victim.

            “Bonding with you is the _last_ thing I want, human,” Kieron hissed, his eyes, a color so dark yet vibrant at the same time, a crime of contrasts, boring into mine. “But you know what? I don’t have a fucking choice.”

            “You can leave…you were going to anyway,” I mumbled, averting my gaze because that look in his eyes was beginning to make heart race all over again.

            Kieron scoffed. “Yeah - I was. I still _might_. But Ashere’s an ass and won’t fucking _let_ me do _anything_ until he’s seen us form the bond. And, Alpha, I can’t imagine putting Ashere through kind of _torture_ ,” he hissed, his mouth twisting into a violent sneer, “being stuck with _you_.”

            I wanted to hit him so _damn bad_ but I’d probably just wind up pissing him off even more, or breaking my damn hand. Either way it wasn’t pretty, so I bit down _hard_ on my bottom lip and dug my fingernails into the plaster at my back, as I hadn’t stepped away from the wall yet.

            “The sooner I get rid of you, the better,” Kieron snorted.

            “Kieron - that’s not very nice,” came Ashere’s voice. I looked to see the silver-haired immortal entering from the kitchen. We in the living room at the moment, having barely exited the hallway which led to my room before I’d caught up with him and had confronted him. Yeah - a lot of good that was doing, right?

            Kieron glared at the other immortal. “I thought you and Blaine for a walk,” he huffed.

            “We did,” Ashere clarified. “She’s tired, though, so we started back and wouldn’t you know it? You two are trying to win a damn shouting match.”

            “It wasn’t me!” I said sharply, which, in hindsight, probably wasn’t the best excuse.

            “Where’s she now?” Kieron asked as both of them ignored my outburst.

            “Out back,” Ashere said. “She’s already moody enough without having to deal with the two of you having a fight in the living room.”

            “I’m not doing this,” Kieron said suddenly, shaking his head. He stepped away from me and glared at Ashere. “I’m not doing this with _anyone_ , least of all _him_.” He jutted a finger at me to enunciate who the ‘him’ was.

            I glared at him. “I’m not thrilled to be stuck with _you_ either, you jerk!”

            Ashere scrubbed a hand over his face. “It’s predetermined, Kie.”

            “Well, well, _re_ -determining it.”

            “Kieron, you’re being difficult. Just accept your role and get on with it - that’s the only way things can ever return to normal.”

            My head was starting to hurt with all their odd talk…not to mention the fact that they were _ignoring me again_. I was sick of being ignored.

            “Why’s it have to be me?” Kieron groused, still shooting glares at Ashere. “You do it! I delivered him alive, now it’s your turn to step up!”

            “Don’t make me call Farrow.”

            I wasn’t sure who Farrow was, or what, or even what it had to do with anything, but instantly Kieron snapped his mouth shut and settled for silently glaring at the silver-haired immortal.

            “It is your job to bond with the hu-…to bond with Terry,” Ashere said, and I offered a small smile because he had remembered and called me by my name. I never realized how much I actually _liked_ my name until now, because ‘Terry’ was far better than ‘human’.

            “Why does he have to?” I asked, because I really didn’t want to be ‘tied’ to the guy, whatever _that_ meant, but it didn’t sound good…especially if it meant sticking around Kieron for much longer.

            “It is his job - his destiny.” Ashere shot a harsh look toward Kieron, the worst look I’d seen him make since we’d been here, in his house. “And Kieron will accept it and he will do it.”

            Kieron snorted and turned so his back was facing us. His posture was rigid and his arms were folded across his chest. Again, if he was an animal, his fur would have been bristling and standing on end.

            Even so, I could notice it when his hair grew darker and more shaggy - a little longer. It slid down the nape of his neck and half-disappeared into the back collar of his shirt - a nice-looking, soft shirt which, while it looked a little odd, fit him pretty damn well and he wasn’t really _bad_ looking…I mean, he had a little muscle tone, he didn’t seem to have any fat on him until he was good at hiding it, and -

            My eyes went wide and I instantly started shaking my head - furiously. _Oh, hell no,_ I thought to myself, turning my back on Ashere as well because I wanted to ram my face into the wall until I was able to knock some sense back into me. _Stupid, stupid, stupid - you do not like him! He’s not hot or attractive in any way, and he’s a damn ass!_

            After three or four hits against the wall, hands gripped my shoulders and led me toward the center of the room. I was turned so I was facing Kieron, who was leaning against the far wall now, as though keeping his distance. Ashere’s hands left my shoulders.

            “Don’t hurt yourself,” he chided like a mother telling her kid he couldn’t have any candy today.

            And I reacted as such.

            “I will if I want!”

            Yeah - not the best argument, but -

            Kieron chuckled.

            I slid my gaze toward him at the sound and found a small smirk dying off his lips. When he glanced at me, his expression turned stony and guarded, like he was daring me to say there had ever been another look plastered there.

            Ashere scrubbed a hand over his face. “Alright, you two - that’s it.”

            He disappeared into the kitchen. I heard a door open and snap closed.

            Kitchen door, maybe? The back entrance?

            Awkwardly, I stood there shuffling my feet while Kieron remained silent and watchful across the room. I found myself slowly slinking back to the other side of the room, where I had been before. I suddenly missed my wall.

            A door opened and closed again. Footsteps marched out of the kitchen and into the living room. Ashere muttered something and he came my way while Blaine edged toward Kieron, who watched her shrewdly.

            “Don’t think that just because you’re a woman means I won’t stab you in the face,” Kieron threatened.

            Blaine just shrugged and grabbed his arm. She whispered something into his ear when he started to tug away, and then he sighed and acquiesced to her wishes. She led him toward the kitchen.

            A door opened. Floorboards creaked. It wasn’t the other door, though - the one Ashere had gone through, but obviously a different one. The door sounded closer and I hadn’t heard the creaking before.

            Before I had a chance to ask anything, Ashere grabbed my arm as well and pretty much drug me into the kitchen, toward the small pantry. He gestured at an open door inside the pantry, mostly a trap door in the floor beneath piles of cans. The cans had been moved for the most part and the trap door was open. Light seeped through from below and could hear the creaking again.

            “Where’s-” I started to ask, wondering where Kieron was and if he was down there, but I got cut off when I was shoved toward, toward the mouth of the hole. With a yelp and pretty much tripped into the hole and had to run down the steps to keep from toppling over.

            I looked around once I got off the steps.

            Kieron stood on the other side of the small room, digging through a box. He pulled something from it - some kind of figurine, but of what, I didn’t know - and then began walking toward the steps.

            Before he started to move past me, the trap door slammed closed. Something clicked on the other side of it but it sounded a lot like a creak so I wasn’t sure.

            Kieron’s eyes narrowed and he dropped the figurine. It shattered on the ground but if he cared, he didn’t show it. Meanwhile, I yelped and jumped away because I was bare foot and I didn’t need more glass cutting my feet open.

            The blue-haired immortal moved up the stairs and pushed lightly at the trap door. I was standing pretty damn close to the stairs now due to the glass, so I looked up and watched him.

            Anger rippled through his body - I could see it in the way he tensed - and punched at the trap door. It seemed like it was made of wood except I knew how strong Kieron was and it wasn’t budging, not even creaking as he hit it again, and again after that. Leveraging himself up enough, he rammed his shoulder into it and then growled in frustration.

            “What is it?” I finally asked, even though I had a pretty good idea.

            He was quiet for a moment before he came down a few steps and sat on the stairs. “We’re locked in.”

            “Locked in?”

            “Yeah.”

            “Why?”

            He slid his gaze toward me. “You know.”

            “I do?”

            Now his eyes rolled and irritation sparked in his steely gaze. “The bond. They’re trying to make us bond.”

            “But why would - wait a minute, they seriously locked us in here? Where are we?”

            “Basement.”

            “You guys have basements here?”

            He glared at me. “Why is it you seem to think we live like cavemen, human? Believe it or not, we _can_ function on our own and without humanity. Not _everything_ is different and basements were a good investment during the, well…the wars.”

            I sighed and rubbed at the back of my neck. Beads of sweat gathered on my brow. It was hot down here, and stuffy. The cement ground, while cool to the feet, was becoming sticky as my feet started to sweat as well.

            “They locked us in. You’re serious?”

            “No, human, I’m fucking _lying_. Of course I’m serious!”

            “Right…you don’t joke.”


	20. The Bond, part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First with blood... how creepy. And what's this have to do with 'soul'?

Chapter Twenty: The Bond pt 2, the Actual Bonding

 

 

 

The basement was damp, sticky, hot, and hard against my bare feet. Kieron was sitting on the bottom step, his feet flat on the floor as he hunched forward, his elbows resting on his knees, his head held up by his hands. It was quiet. Neither of us had spoken since he’d told me they’d locked us in. What Blaire and Ashere were planning, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. I just wanted out of here because my clothes felt like a second skin and it was too hot and heavy.

            “Can’t you break the door?” I asked, throwing a glance at Kieron. He’d been so still and quiet for so long, I almost would have thought him asleep if not for the way his eyes were open. Now the blue orbs snapped toward me and narrowed.

            “You don’t think I’ve _tried_?” he drawled, before he rolled his eyes. “That door was created to keep immortals from breaking it, human.”

            “Why? What’s so special about basements?”

            Kieron pinched at the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “I don’t have time for this,” muttered as he got to his feet and paced away from the stairs, toward the other side of the basement. His fingers curled into his hair. He’d been doing that for about fifteen minutes now. I wasn’t sure how long we’d been down here - an hour? Two? A day? Week? Of course, I wasn’t hungry so it hadn’t been too long.

            “Why’d they lock us in?”

            “I told you.”

            “But I don’t get it. I thought you said we already bonded, then you said you didn’t want to, and now this? Are we bonded or not?” I asked, frowning at him. I honestly didn’t know what I wanted the answer to be. I didn’t want to be bound to him, but I also wanted to get out of this humid basement.

            “We’re not,” he snapped, and then paused. “At least not completely.”

            “Not _completely_? What’s _that_ supposed to mean?” I hissed, watching him from where I leaned against one of the damp walls. Weren’t basements supposed to have windows? Why didn’t this one have any? It really would have come in handy right about now!

            “It means we haven’t really bonded.”

            “But you just said-”

            “We’ve _started_ to bond,” he said, glaring at me. I snapped my mouth shut. “ _Started_. But it hasn’t gotten very far along.”

            “Very far along? What do you-”

            “It’s complicated - shut up.”

            “Stop telling me to-”

            “Shut up.”

            “Stop cutting me-”

            “Shut. Up.”

            “ _You_ shut up!” I said quickly, before he could interrupt me again. He narrowed his eyes at me but I just glared back at him. If he really wanted to hurt me, physically hurt me, he would have done so by now, so I wasn’t too worried about getting my ass beat.

            “Human, you’re making my headache worse, and if you keep talking, I’m going to make us stay down here forever.”

            “You wouldn’t.”

            A harsh grin split his lips. “I would.”

            “Do we really have to bond? Can’t we fake it?” I asked hopefully, but he was already shaking his head.

            “Doesn’t work that way, and besides, Ash said he wants to _see it_ for himself.”

            “How’s he gonna do that if it’s our bond?” It felt weird saying that - ‘our’ bond. A shiver crawled through my body as I spoke the words.

            “He’ll know.”

            “How?”

            “He just will.”

            “How?”

            “You might call it a perpetual thing, now shut up.”

            I paused, thought it over, and then nodded. “Is that how the screamers knew we hadn’t bonded?”

            “Something like that, though the screamers aren’t immortal - just fucking nearly invincible.”

            “Nearly?”

            “Mm.” He nodded. “Their skin is thick and while you can slice it, it doesn’t go deep enough to actually cause them real damage. Short of ramming them through - like me - they’re pretty damn hard to kill. Your best bet is to chase them off or knock ‘em out.”

            “Is that what you did at the house? Chased it off?” I asked because in my apartment, I couldn’t see him stabbing the thing all the way through - and I still winced when he spoke of it because all I could remember was the blood and the still silence.

            “Mm, yeah. A lot easier than trying to kill it.”

            “How’d you chase it off if you can’t really hurt it?”

            “Screamers are tough bastards, but they hate losing consciousness,” Kieron said with a small shrug. “If they think they’re going to be knocked out, they usually take off. Or, if you start managing to slice in the same general area, they know soon enough you’re bound to hit something important, so they hightail it out of there.”

            “Really?”

            “No, I’m lying.” He glared. “Yes, really.” He sighed, leaned against the wall he was standing by, which wasn’t too far from me, and allowed himself to slid to the floor.

            “…Kieron?”

            He glanced at me. “Mm?”

            “I really want to, erm…get out of this basement,” I admitted. I didn’t want to bond with him and I would have prolonged the inevitable as long as I could, but as of right now, I just wanted some fresh air and some water. And a new change of clothes because mine were pretty sweaty.

            He sighed. “Alright,” he murmured, and then gestured for me to sit by him. “Come here.”

            I swallowed because he sounded resigned to the bond, and I knew if I chose to sit next to him, it would happen. I wasn’t sure _what_ would happen, or one formed a bond, but I knew it would happen and there was no going back from it - right? Unless there was, in which case, okay. If I could get out of it later, all I had to worry about was having it right now, to get out of this stupid basement, and then I could get on with my life.

            I didn’t question Kieron on it, though. Mostly because I didn’t really want to know the answer.

            Instead, I sat next to him and stared awkwardly across the basement, at the stairs. Silence wrapped around us like a scratchy, uncomfortable blanket I kept wanting to shrug off, but we had to do this if we wanted out of this stuffy basement.

            I felt drenched in sweat, my shirt was sticking to me, and my forehead was damp - so, yeah, I wanted out of here.

            “So…what does…how do we do this?” I asked to break the silence. Finally, I glanced at him. We weren’t sitting too far apart and I could see the little beads of sweat starting to form on his brow. He was probably just as hot as I was.

            He shrugged and then gave me a sideways look, head still facing the stairs. “It’s not fun.”

            “Not fun? How so?”

            He turned his head and gave me an incredulous look. “Do you not know what bonding entails?”

            “Um, _no_. You won’t answer me clearly. Why? What does it entail?” I asked, frowning. I suddenly wasn’t liking the sound of this. Maybe staying in the basement wasn’t such a bad idea after all. I mean, they had to let us out _sometime_ , right? There was no bathroom down here, or food, or water. Nothing except cement walls, a few boxes stuffed on a set of shelves off in the corner, and a plethora of cobwebs.

            “A bond is, well…” He shook his head. “I guess it doesn’t matter because we have to do it either way.” A hard look passed over his face. “Now, turn away from me slightly, and tilt your head to the side.”

            “What side?”

            “Doesn’t matter - you pick.”

            I sighed and, confused, did as he ask. Then I tilted my head to the right.

            “Close your eyes.”

            “Why?”

            “Just do it, human. Let’s get this over with.”

            I sighed and nodded. I closed my eyes and waited - for what, I didn’t know, but I waited all the same. I was really curious about what this bond was and how it was supposed to be formed, but at the same time, I wanted nothing to do with it. It was more like I wanted to observe it from afar - when _I_ wasn’t being the one being bonded to someone. Especially to Kieron.

            A sudden, sharp pain at the base of my neck on the left side had me gasping and tearing away, spinning rapidly. My hand flew to my neck and became slick with blood. I stared at Kieron with wide eyes. “What the fuck was that!”

            He put his hand down. His nails, a little too long and sharp to be considered ‘normal’, were red with my blood. “The first step in the bonding process,” he replied like it was the most natural thing in the world.

            “You stabbed me in the neck!”

            “Don’t be so dramatic.”

            “You did! What the hell!” I glared at him and swiped the blood away from my neck. The wounds weren’t very deep but they stung like hell and were coating my lower neck red, and my upper shoulder. The incisions were right where the shoulder and neck connected. “Why did you do that!”

            “It’s the first step,” he said again, with an annoyed eye roll at me. _He_ stabbed _me_ and he was annoyed because _I_ was angry? How did that make sense? “Calm down, human. I merely pricked you - I didn’t _stab_ you.”

            I silently glowered at him.

            “Now, for the second part.” A smirk appeared on his face. “I think you’ll like this part.”

            “I _will_?” I couldn’t picture myself like _any_ of this.

            “Mm. Now you have to make me bleed.”

            “I - say what?” He couldn’t be serious.

            “What I did to you - do it to me.”

            “But I don’t have nifty little knives built into my hands,” I grumbled, folding my arms across my chest. My neck was aching and so was the muscle just under where he’d ‘pricked’ me.

            Kieron gestured at the broken glass on the ground from where he’d dropped that figuring. “Get a shard,” he instructed.

            “Why do I have to cut you?” I asked instead of doing what he said.

            “Just do it. I though you _wanted_ to cut me?”

            “Well - you’re an ass, but - _no_. Why would I want to do that? I’m not a jerk like you.”

            He rolled his eyes at me. “Just do it so we can move this shit along. I would rather not stay the night down here.”

            “They wouldn’t do that,” I said, but he just kept quiet and watched me. I swallowed. “They wouldn’t, right?”

            They couldn’t keep us down here all night! What about food? Water? _Air_? Not that they had an air conditioner - did they even have those here? - but at least there was a breeze.

            Kieron shrugged. “I wouldn’t put past them So?”

            I sighed and nodded. “Fine.” I stood and walked to pick up a shard, and then returned to my original position next to the immortal. “Now what?”

            “You know.”

            “But I - where?” I finally conceded, because I really wanted to get out of here. And let’s face it, I had wanted to at least hit him for a while now. Now I got to cut him. I should have been thrilled, right? Except I wasn’t.

            “Anywhere. Nothing big though.”

            “Okay, um…” I looked him up and down. “Err…how about your arm?”

            “Fine by me. Which one?”

            “Uh…the…right one?”

            “Okay.” He held out his right arm and pushed his sleeve up even though it was already a short-sleeved shirt. He rolled it up until it was by his neck. “Go ahead. A small incision.”

            I swallowed and nodded. Bringing the shard up, I placed the edge lightly to the skin of his arm, just above where the arm curved for the elbow. Then I took a breath and applied more pressure. It took more than I thought, but I finally broke through the skin and moved the shard slightly, slicing him. Then I quickly tossed the shard aside.

            “Okay…now what?” I asked as I watched him clamp his hand down over the wound, slowing the blood. It wasn’t too deep but it felt like I’d gone in more than I wanted. It was only seeping blood and not gushing it, so I must have done okay.

            Pfft. Yeah, okay at _cutting_ someone.

            Even an asshole.

            Kieron sat back against the wall, hand still clutched to his seeping arm. “The first step is complete.”

            “First step? You mean we had to do this? And it’s not even done?” My mind raced. What else would we have to do to ‘bond’? All of this was so confusing and it was giving me a headache. I wanted to ask about it again and demand a clear answer, but I kept my mouth shut because I wasn’t so sure I wanted to know the answer…not after the ‘first step’.

            He sighed. “There’s always more to it, human. But this is the first step and the only step we can do for now. The rest…well, we have to wait for it to take effect and, well…” He paused momentarily. “Adjust things from there.”

            “Adjust?”

            “Yes, human - adjust.”

            “Alright. Fine. I won’t argue.”

            “Finally,” he muttered.

            I shot him a look. “When can we get the hell out of here?”

            “Whenever they decide to check on us,” he replied with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

            “And when will that be?”

            “I don’t know.”

            I sighed and shook my head.

 

 

I wasn’t sure how long we were stuck down there - hours, days, weeks - but when we finally got out, I was drenched in sweat and immediately ran for the refrigerator. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for until I spotted the bottled water. They had it here, too, apparently. I chugged down an entire bottle within seconds and then released a relieved sigh.

            Kieron was much less eager. He climbed out of the basement and moved out of the kitchen without even looking at me, even though he had to pass by me to do so. However, he did shoot Ashere an icy glare before he disappeared from the room.

            I shot a look at Ashere. “Why’d you do that?” I grouched, narrowing my eyes at him. “It was hot down there!”

            “But you two bonded,” he noted, nodding at my neck. The blood was dry and crusted with little smears from where I’d held it. As soon as I thought about that, I thought about Kieron doing the same to his arm after I…After I cut him. Purposefully cut him.

            But Kieron had told me to - so it was okay, right?

            “Er…I guess? I don’t know. I don’t know what any of this crap is,” I muttered, tossing Ashere another glare. “I had to fucking _cut_ him!”

            Ashere sighed and nodded. “I know.”

            “What the hell was that all about?”

            “Blood needed to be spilled - from both sides.”

            “Spilled?” I blinked at him and groaned. “I have a feeling there’s something complicated behind your words, but all I really want right now is a short, sweet explanation. Why’d I have to cut him?” I sat in one of the four wooden chairs at the kitchen table.

            It was only Ashere and I in the kitchen, so Ashere sighed and joined me at the table, twiddling his thumbs as he chewed on his lower lip, a calculating gleam in his eyes.

            “Well,” he started slowly, “it’s like you both had to touch each other in a way the human body, and the Etherian body, understands.”

            I stared at him. “I have no idea what you’re saying to me. Touch? Body? Understands?” I really wished he’d speak clearly and just tell me crap.

            “The soul re-”

            “Whoa! Wait!” I shook my head violently. “Did you say soul? _Soul_? That has nothing to do with anything!”

            “You bonded,” he said, like I forgot.

            “For like a damn minute and not much! And only because you made us!” I narrowed my eyes into small slits, glaring at him. “Don’t be bringing ‘soul’ into this.”

            Ashere shrugged. “The _soul_ recognizes blood as a bond. When blood is spilled, there is a connection - friend, foe, brother, ally, traitor - it doesn’t matter who it is, but there is always, _always_ a connection when blood is spilled.”

            “So what? Why’d we have to make each other bleed?”

            “Because it was the first step. It essentially opened the channels, so to speak, and let the blood flow through the air and between you. You are now connected because of the blood that was spilled.” Ashere grinned like he was pleased. Did he seriously think this was _good_?

            “I don’t want to be connected.”

            “But you must.” He blinked at me, confused.

            “Why?”

            “It is the way it must be - the way it’s always been.”

            “Always been?” I repeated, frowning at him. “What do you mean, ‘always been’?”

            “With the other humans,” Ashere said with a shrug, like it was common knowledge. If it was common knowledge, then I wouldn’t have to ask so many questions, now would I? “The Etherian who found them always had to bond with them. It’s just what you do.”

            “Are they always immortals?” I asked, just because all I had met thus far, minus the screamers, were immortals.

            “No,” he said, shaking his head. “Not always.” He slid his gaze toward me. “How do you feel?”

            I blinked at him, confused. “Feel?” I echoed faintly, watching him.

            He nodded. “Yeah - how do you feel? After starting the bond, I mean.”

            “Oh, um…I don’t feel any different.”

            “Hmm…” He paused momentarily and then shrugged to himself. “I guess things take time, huh?”

            “Erm…sure. Why not?” I had no idea what he was talking about. Was I supposed to feel different? “I don’t want to feel different,” I said quickly.

            Ashere shrugged. “It’s different every time. Anyway, it’s time for sleep, don’t you think?”

            I paused and remembered that Kieron had woken me up to talk about the bond in my room - except he hadn’t really explained much at all, had stormed out in a huff and then, well, we’d gotten locked in the basement for - “How long were we down there?”

            “About two hours or so. Maybe three.”

            I glared at him again. “Yeah, _thanks_ for that.”

            “Hey, it worked, didn’t it?” He flashed me a grin.

            It was turning morning now. The sun was coming up. My body felt drenched and tired, and even though I needed a shower, I could only think of sleep. So I sighed, exited the living room, and walked down the hallway toward my room. Once there, I pushed open the door and rushed to the bed, laying atop the covers.

            I was out the moment my head hit the pillow.

 

 

I awoke several hours later to the sound of arguing in the hallway just outside my room. Rubbing at my eyes, I sighed and threw my feet over the side of the bed. I padded toward the door and tossed it open in time for Blaine to give me a death glare. I glared right back at her.

            What was her problem with me? She’d hated me when she’d first laid eyes on me. I wasn’t impressionable, was I? Anger flickered to life inside my chest and I was just sucking in the breath to snap at her, when a hand snagged my arm and threw me sideways, into the wall.

            I spun and glared at Kieron, but then suddenly all I could see was his wide, wild eyes. He had a slice across his right cheek and he was pale, his clothes covered in dirt and blood. Blood? What was happening?

            “Kieron?” I murmured instead of getting angry with him for ramming me into the wall.

            “Go,” he snapped, grabbing my arm again. He tossed me into Ashere’s room. “Go!”

            “Go where?” I shouted, looking around. What was happening? “What’s going-”

            “Out the window - Blaine will be there shortly, just…” He sucked in a sharp breath. “Just run and hide and Blaine will find you.”

            “Blaine? What about you? And Ashere?” I asked because of everyone, I actually disliked Blaine the most.

            “Don’t worry about it, just-”

            Glass shattered from somewhere near the living room. Growls bounced off the walls and I could feel them getting closer, surrounding us, waiting to _kill us_. Who it was, I wasn’t entirely sure, but I had a feeling it was screamers again.

            I backed up toward the window, my gaze focused on the door. Kieron turned his back toward me, body rigid as he watched the door to the room, which he’d closed after shoving me inside. What happened to Blaine, I didn’t know, but obviously she was okay because she was supposed to meet me later.

            “What’s going on?” I managed to whisper.

            Kieron shot me a look and then snapped his gaze back toward the door when the floor creaked on the other side of it. “Just do it,” he growled lowly, without sparing me another glance. A shadow moved in front of the door, blocking the light from seeping through under it. “ _Go_.”

            I hesitated, but there wasn’t much I could do. I couldn’t fight. I was _human_. And so I turned on my heel and darted for the window.

            The door splintered open just as I was jumping out of the house.

            I hit the ground running. Growls echoed after me and I could hear the sound of furniture being smashed and thrown, of a fight going on in the room I’d just left, and I could actually distinguish Kieron’s growls from the attacker’s. I felt a pull at my chest, like an instinct to turn back, but I ignored it and kept running.

            Soon I couldn’t hear the growls anymore. All I could hear were birds cawing and the wind whispering through the trees around me.

            I was alone in the trees, it was chilly out, and I didn’t even know if anyone was actually going to come for me.

            Other than the screamers, anyway.


	21. Scream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Head injuries hurt. Like hell. Not like Kieron has a good bedside manner.

Chapter Twenty-One: Scream

 

 

 

My heart was hammering in my chest but I couldn’t figure out why. Not really. Sure, I was being hunted and chased and people wanted to kill me, but I had been alone for a while now and no one had come after me. Silence surrounded me and I was pretty sure I’d hear it if the screamers closed in - they had a nasty habit of snarling and growling. I was relatively safe and had been for a while.

            So why was my heart racing?

            I couldn’t figure it out. I felt like I had to move, to get away or be somewhere, but I had nowhere to go. So I ignored it and just stayed put because I didn’t actually want to chance moving. For all I knew, they were zeroing in on me and if I moved, I could draw their attention toward me and then I’d be caught.

            Again.

            And I had no intention of getting caught again. Or _ever_.

            A twig snapped nearby. I stilled and held my breath, as if the sound of simply breathing would draw someone’s attention. I will my heart to quiet down but it only sped up and quickened its frantic pace. My back was hurting from this held position, and even more so now that I was completely rigid and still, like a statue, barely allowing oxygen to slip into and out of my lungs.

            _Please don’t find me, please don’t find me,_ I silently willed. _I don’t want to be caught again. I don’t want to die._

            A hang snagged my wrist and I yelped instinctively because that touch felt wrong. It was too tight and too angry and-

            Blaine glared down at me. “Shut up,” she snapped viciously. There was blood smeared across her face and mouth, staining her teeth. She didn’t appear hurt - more like she’d taken a bite out of something. Or someone. I gulped and was hauled harshly to my feet.

            “What happened?” I asked. “Are they screamers?”

            She didn’t answer, just started walking away. I had no choice but to follow or be left in the bush I’d been hiding in, and it actually felt good to move around.

            “Where’s Kieron?” I asked quietly. “And…And Ashere?”

            My skin felt scratchy. I itched but not in any particular place. I scratched everywhere, all down my arms, my neck, the back of my legs…

            “Not here,” she said simply, and then slid her gaze toward me. “The hell’s wrong with you?” She eyed me up and down with her cold gaze.

            “I don’t know. I guess I was sitting in Poison Ivy or something.” I shrugged and kept scratching.

            She snorted and then paused. “Wait. You bonded with Kieron, right?”

            I sighed. “Yeah, but-”

            “Shit. Shit, shit, shit,” she muttered, shaking her head as she said her little ‘shit’ mantra.

            “What?”

            “Kieron’s in trouble.”

            “What? How do you know? Where is he?” I asked quickly, unsure of why the words were flowing from my mouth because I absolutely _did not care_. He was an asshole and…and-

            “You’re connected to him now,” she said impatiently as we quickened our pace. “Can’t you tell he’s in trouble? You act like you hate your own skin.”

            I paused. “Are you saying I’m itchy because of the _bond_? That makes no sense! I was hiding in a bush for like…I don’t know how long. That’s why I’m itchy - not because of some _bond_.” That didn’t make any sense. At all.

            She just snorted and said nothing more. I had no idea where we were going, but it was in a hurry.

            My arm suddenly gave a spasm. “Ow!” I growled, holding my arm to my chest. My neck burned. My skin itched.

            “What?” she asked, barely glancing at me.

            “I don’t know. My arm hurts. And - ow!” I clasped a hand over the healing wound on my neck from where Kieron had freaking _stabbed_ me. With his freaking _claws_.

            Blaine stared at me. “It _hurts_?” she asked, frowning. “What do you mean?”

            “I mean it fucking _burns_ ,” I snapped, glaring at her, pressing down more on my neck. _Ow, ow, ow._ This sucked. Freaking Kieron! “What do you think I mean!”

            Blaine narrowed her eyes into dangerous slits. “Shut up and stay put.”

            “What? But-”

            “Stay _put_ ,” she snapped, glaring. “I don’t give a damn what happens to you but Kieron said to make sure you were safe, and so I am, but I _will_ lead you into danger if that’s what you want.”

            I stared. “ _Kieron_ said to make sure I’m safe?” I asked incredulously. Kieron had? Seriously? He hated me! He made it clear every chance he got. So why would my safety matter at _all_ to him?

            “Stay here,” she growled before she turned and darted off into the trees. Within seconds she was gone. Wow. Fast. I didn’t know what she looked like, as a perpetual, but she obviously had sharp teeth if she’d bitten someone, and she was pretty damn fast.

            I sighed and leaned against a tree, trying to listen as much as I could for any approaching danger.

            But of course my human hearing sucked.

            It wasn’t but a few minutes after Blaine took off that a snarl sounded close to my ear and I was tackled to the ground. Claws dug into my shoulder as I was held firmly on the ground, resting on my stomach, the wind knocked out of me.

            “Where’s your immortal?” a savage voice snapped, breath hot and unwanted against my ear. I was pressed more into the ground and groaned as my chest began to get crushed. I choked for breath and struggled to crawl out from under the screamer, but my arms were quickly trapped at my sides.

            “I don’t have-” I tried to tell them, but a painful twinge in my shoulder and neck from my held position had me gasping instead of speaking. A hand slammed against the back of my head and my face was smashed into the ground. My eyes watered and my nose stung and I was sure that was blood running down the back of my neck.

            Freaking claws!

            My head was on fire. My vision blurred.

            I was hauled to my feet so quickly I couldn’t breathe for a moment, like a weird kind of whiplash. I sucked in my lost breath and glared at the screamer before me. It had discolored skin and odd blood running down the side of its face. Clearly it had been in a fight but obviously had come out on top.

            “What do you want with me?” I growled. “I don’t know anything!”

            The screamer just sneered and sank its claws into my wrist, where it had a death grip on my arm. I bit back a yelp as blood covered the thing’s nails.

            Why couldn’t they just leave me alone? What was so damn special about _me_? Sure, I could see them, but surely that didn’t warrant this, right? It was crazy! “I don’t know-” I tried again, but suddenly all I could see was black when something slammed into my head. I groaned and sank to my knees, unable to even hold my head up. My head blazed and my heart raced. My neck throbbed and my body ached.

            _Kieron, where are you?_ I thought, but wasn’t sure why. He wasn’t going to save me this time. He was at the house. Blaine was supposed to take me somewhere but she’d left me, and now I was alone with these bastards. I was on my own here.

            No one was coming.

            I was hauled to my feet again. The screamer was grinning down at me with a grin so wrong it shouldn’t have been able to exist. I stared at it, unable to even speak at the moment, not with the wrongness of the situation and the way my head was fit to burst.

            I was going to be a vegetable by the time I got out of this place if they kept this crap up.

            If I ever made it out, anyway - alive.

            Alive being the key word.

            I wasn’t entirely sure what happened next. One minute I was staring there, staring at the screamer, and then the next I was on the ground as a blur moved through the air. By the time I collected my breath and managed to sit up, no one was in sight. I tried to get to my feet by my vision spun and I wound up collapsing back to the ground. My stomach churned and I was forced to empty the contents of my stomach then and there. Groaning, I sat back against a tree, sucking in deep, shaky breaths.

            I had to get out of here, had to move, had to-

            But I was too tired. My body was exhausted, my head was killing me, and my neck throbbed. I just wanted to _sleep_ , damn it.

            Surely a few minutes wouldn’t hurt anyone, right?

            My eyelids slid shut.

            I could hear noise around me - faint, nonsensical, but there. Words faded in and out and I began to slip off. Darkness started to consume my mind and I was more than willing to fade into it because at least when I was unconscious, I wouldn’t be feeling this pain and I could escape reality for a bit.

            But a hand snagged my shoulder. Shook me like a rag doll.

            “-man,” a voice was growling but it sounded a mile away. It was easy to ignore. “Hu-”

            Sleep…I just wanted to sleep.

            I was shaken again - harshly this time. My head flopped to the side and an involuntary gasp shot from my mouth as fire flared through my head, igniting little nerves of pain throughout my body. A whimper cut through the air and I wasn’t aware it had come from my mouth until I felt the vibrations stop when the sound cut off.

            God, it hurt. _Ow ow ow ow owowowowow…_

            “Human - damn it, I - human!”

            Not now. Sleep.

            “Human, get the fuck up right now or I’ll-”

            _Shut up. Tired. Go away._

            Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.

            “Do you hear me?” a voice was snarling viciously and I was shaken again. Ow. Ow. Ow. Owowowow! “I said to _get the fuck up_! Human!”

            My eyes snapped open only to beg the person to stop shaking me because damn it, it _hurt_. “S-Stop,” I said, ashamed that I stammered but damn it, _fuck_ …. _Ow_.

            Blue bangs hung down around dark blue eyes. Sharp teeth poked out of a bloody mouth. My eyes slowly focused, then my head gave another sharp throb, and I snapped them shut again. Ow. I was so not doing this right now.

            “Human. Hey! I’m talking to you!”

            So loud.

            “Shut…up.”

            There. I could use Kieron’s tactics against him.

            “We have to get - human, I said get up!”

            Another rough shake.

            “Stop!” I managed to shout, my eyes snapping open again to stare at him. “Stop stop stop stopstopstop…”

            “Then _get up_.”

            “No, no, no,” I whined, because even thinking about moving sounded like the worst idea since Hitler.

            “Human you have to get - Terry, get up!”

            Awareness flooded through me. “Huh?” I managed to mutter, struggling to breathe through the stupid fire in my head. I was surprised my body wasn’t in flames right now.

            “Get. The fuck. Up.”

            “Hurts…” I muttered like a baby.

            “I know it does,” Kieron said, and what the hell? Was that actually a semi­- _gentle_ tone in his voice? “Now get up. The screamers will be here soon and-”

            “Tired…”

            “If you go to sleep I swear I leave your heavy ass here,” he threatened, glaring down at me, his words a sharp flash of his teeth.

            “Fine.”

            I was too tired and pained to care right now. Besides, he’d planned to pawn me off and leave me behind anyway, right?

            Kieron growled and flicked a claw against my nose. Not necessarily painful, but enough to get my attention. I blinked at him, though my eyes were really staying closed too long to actually be considered a blink. I just wanted to _sleep_. Everything _hurt_.

            “Get up,” he snapped, jabbing me in the shoulder with his fist. “Get. _Up_. We have to go. Now. Human!”

            I groaned and tossed my head to the side. Ow - big mistake. Finally, though, since I knew he wasn’t going to leave me alone until I did as I was told, I pushed my elbows under me and managed to sit up off the tree. The world spun around me.

            “Get up,” Kieron said again, backing away somewhat. I was a little surprised he wasn’t just yanking to my feet like he’d done in the past. Hmm. “Human, get-”

            “I know,” I snapped but it was weak and I wasn’t even entirely sure if he could hear me. He must have, though, because he narrowed his eyes at me and snapped his mouth shut. I pushed myself to my knees and then managed to shake my head. “No. Can’t.”

            “Do it.”

            Pfft. Like it was so _simple_ …

            A snarl sounded nearby. Vicious and bloodthirsty, and damned if my body didn’t move on its own. A second later I was on my feet, staggering as my vision spun and blurred, but I was up nevertheless. Kieron grabbed the front of my shirt and steadied me, glancing me over, but I was sure I imagined that last part.

            “Screamers?” I asked quietly.

            He gave a stiff nod.

            Memories were returning. Slowly. “Blaine was looking for you. Worried.”

            The immortal shook his head. “We’ll talk about that later, okay? Right now, we need to get out of here. There’s about six of them.”

            “Six?” I blinked slowly. “Six screamers?”

            “Mm,” he confirmed. “At least.”

            Great.

            I swallowed.

            “We need to go, human.”

            I hesitated and then gave a slow nod. “Okay. Okay, but, um…I don’t know how well I can-”

            “Whatever is fine, but we have to go,” Kieron snapped. He reached a hand up as though to grab my arm but then seemed to think better of it because he dropped his hand and then turned, darting into the trees.

            My head ablaze, my body aching and my vision blurred, I followed him into the trees as best I could. Or at least I tried. I really did.

            But suddenly I was on the ground again. Everything hurt and blood dripped from my nose. My eyes watered and I just wanted to _sleep_ …

            Kieron growled something at me. Probably yelling again.

            Well, screw him.

            I ignored him.

            At first, anyway. Then he did something that made me snap my eyes open and force them to focus so I could stare at him in disbelief.

            He fucking _licked me_.

            On the damn _forehead_.

            I stared at him and his bloody mouth as he pulled away. His eyes were narrowed at me in an ‘I’m barely tolerating you’ kind of way. “W-What the hell was that?” I stammered, stumbling over my own shock and disbelief. He’d licked me. _Licked me_! Like a damn dog!

            Come to think of it, the tongue hadn’t felt human.

            Oh, God. I was so not thinking about this right now. Nope. Tongues could not invade my thoughts at the moment. No way.

            Then he leaned forward and did it again, right next to the other lick. I jerked back as much as I could and stared at him, wide-eyed. “W-What the hell are you doing?”

            And I was going to ignore the way my heart raced in my chest. Yep. Ignoring that.

            And the way my cheeks felt hot.

            Yeah, ignoring that, too.

            “Better?” he asked instead of answering, his tone impatient, his blue eyes dark and narrowed at me.

            “Better? What the fuck do you _mean_ , bet-” I broke off suddenly because now that I thought about it, I could actually _think clearly_. My head wasn’t fit to burst. It still hurt like hell and my vision was still blurred and my body ached like my organs were made out of weights, but it was actually bearable at the moment. I swallowed and frowned at Kieron. “What did you do?” I asked meekly, because I wasn’t so sure I wanted an answer.

            He shrugged. “We have to go. They’re getting closer.” He stood from where he’d been kneeling next to me and then he turned his back on me.

            What the…?!

            “Hey! You can’t just lick me and walk away! Hey! I’m talking to you!”


	22. A Good Licking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because licking solves everything, right? And... is Kieron actually being... NICE?

Chapter Twenty-Two: A Good Licking

 

 

 

 

My head was throbbing and getting worse, but it was still better than what it had been before…before Kieron licked me. Dear God, _licked_ me. I wasn’t sure what to think about that because maybe he was teasing me - you know, like a wet Willy. Poor Willy. Why’s he always wet and associated with ears?

            Anyway. Kieron could have been teasing. He could have been annoyed and had done it to get my attention. Or he might actually give a damn. Pfft, like that last option was even possible. Kieron caring was as insane as Blaine saying one nice thing to me. Or as insane as Rufus telling me about ‘surprise sex’ before I found myself trussed up and terrified for my life.

            I wasn’t sure how long we walked, jogged, whatever it was we were doing…but it was a while and it was a lot easier to focus on the path ahead instead of the pain darting through my head, growing worse as it stabbed painfully behind my eyes like little daggers. It was easier to just focus on Kieron’s form a few yards ahead of me than to focus on the way my head was starting to spin again and the way my limbs were starting to feel heavy.

            Finally Kieron stopped in the middle of a very small clearing - the clearing could literally only fit about four people. The blue-haired immortal paused, tilted his head to the side, and then spun in a faint circle, his nose twitching as he sniffed the air. He opened his mouth and swallowed, breathed in and out. Tasted the air.

            Finally he seemed satisfied because he gave me a faint nod. I instantly sank to the ground along a tree trunk. Bark dug into my back and stuck in my hair but I didn’t care at the moment. Everything hurt and my head was really starting to hurt again. Whatever Kieron had done had worn off.

            What exactly was it he _had_ done, anyway?

            I released a deep and heavy breath, swallowing thickly. My mouth was so dry my tongue stuck to the roof of it. My throat ached. My neck burned and my head was ablaze like some campfire gone wrong in my mind. Everything hurt.

            “Human?”

            I hadn’t realized Kieron was talking to me until he was right next to me, his voice a soft breath against my ear, a puff of warmth against my skin. I flinched and glanced at him. “Um…yes?”

            Now he looked annoyed. “I asked you a question.”

            “Oh, um…sorry. What was it?”

            He rolled his eyes and shifted away somewhat, sitting down. “I was asking how you felt.”

            Seriously? He wanted to know?

            “Um…my head’s killing me, if that’s what you want to know,” I said uncertainly.

            He nodded. “As soon as someone finds us, you can sleep and I’ll go find something to eat.”

            “What do you mean when someone finds us?” My heart raced a little but after all that happened, it wasn’t a surprise. “Who is gonna find us?”

            “Ashere,” he said, “or Blaine.”

            “Blaine.” I snorted and shook my head before I winced and rethought the wisdom of my movement. After a moment my head felt steady enough for me to open my eyes and speak. “She just left me there!” I paused. “She said something about you being…in trouble? Were you?”

            He shrugged. “I got out of it,” he said, like it was no big deal. “How’d she know?”

            “I dunno, I was itchy and she jumped to conclusions.” I shrugged. “Doesn’t make sense to me either.”

            He groaned. “Great,” he muttered.

            “What?”

            “The bond.”

            “What about it?” I asked somewhat nervously.

            He waved a hand at me, dismissively. “Nothing. It’s nothing. One of them should find us soon.”

            “Why? Can they, like…smell us or something? And if so, can’t the screamers do it as well?” I asked, because I could recall him talking about their sense of smell earlier, when he’d made me strip from my clothes. “Hey - what about that knife thingy? You know, where the screamers couldn’t find me or whatever?”

            He shook his head. “That was a one-time thing. I’d need more…I don’t know. More time or whatever to make another one. It’s not as easy as it looks, you know.”

            I shrugged and then winced. A silence wrapped around us momentarily before I released a slow breath. “Why’d you lick me?” I asked quietly, my voice a faint whisper on the wind. He was quiet for so long I wasn’t sure he heard me, but then he sighed and leaned back against a tree near mine, facing me.

            “It’s part of the bond,” he explained slowly. “You might say it’s a perk.”

            “A ‘perk’? There are perks now?” My head spun, either from the thought of the bond having ‘perks’ or because darkness was dancing along the edges of my vision, I wasn’t sure which.

            “Yeah, a perk.”

            “Alright, then, um…Why’d you lick me? What happened? How did it…It helped a little, yeah? Well…how?”

            I was so confused but really, I wasn’t sure if I wanted answers right now. My head was burning and talking was really starting to make it pound worse.

            I wasn’t aware of how long had passed until Kieron cleared his throat. He was looking at me, watching me with those eyes of his, and I just stared right back at him as I swallowed thickly, struggling to think straight.

            “You have a concussion,” he said quietly. “We’ll talk about this later.”

            “But-”

            He gave me a hard look and I snapped my mouth shut and nodded.

            “Fine,” I muttered, and rubbed at my head with a groan. My teeth bit down hard on my bottom lip.

            “Go ahead, human - lay down.”

            “But…if you have a concussion…aren’t you supposed to stay awake?” I asked, frowning at him. Did he seriously want me to die? Was that it? Why was I surprised? Of course he hated me.

            He rolled his eyes and tossed me an impatient sneer. “Your concussion’s not that bad, and I’m right here. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this or not, but we’re kind of tied to each other.”

            “Er, yeah, but-”

            He rolled his eyes again and then slid forward, toward me. My back against a tree already, I had nowhere to go so I flinched and ducked my head as much as I could without gasping in pain. My fingers clawed into the dirt beneath me as my heart raced. What was he planning? Was he trying to make it worse? Was he going to smack-

            His tongue slid smoothly across the side of my forehead. While I was frozen in shock, the same tongue slipped across my forehead, across an eyebrow, and toward the other side of my head where it dipped down and tickled my ear.

            “What the hell is this!” I exploded, shoving Kieron away. He slid back on his heels and watched me, expression guarded.

            I wiped at my face and forehead and grimaced when I found the wetness left by his stupid tongue. Although, when it had been slipping over my ear, it had been - no! No, I wasn’t going to think about that. Nope. I wasn’t.

            “Huh?” I demanded when he didn’t answer. “Well? What was that all about! Why do you keep licking me!”

            “Does your head feel better?” he asked, his voice just as guarded as his expression.

            I glared at him and growled because, damn it, _yes_ , my head _did_ feel better. Damn him! “It’s fine - now how’d you do it? Because it was hurting pretty damn bad just now and now it’s okay. And before…I was going to pass out, before. And then you…” I scrubbed a hand over my face awkwardly. “And then you _licked_ me and it was better, and you did it again just now, so…Just tell me what it means!”

            He shrugged like it was no big deal. I glared at him again. “It’s complicated, human. But simply, the ‘licking’ is to soothe the pain.”

            “Soothe the pain?” I echoed stupidly.

            He nodded. “Mm. Like I said, a perk of the bond. I can’t heal you but I can ease the pain - for now.”

            “For now? And why just _now_ start this?” I asked suspiciously, narrowing my eyes at him.

            He shrugged. “It wouldn’t have worked earlier, not until we started the bond.”

            “Right…about that.” I shook my head. “You said something about it only being step one?”

            “Mm, yes.”

            “So what’s step two?” I wasn’t so sure I wanted to know. Step one had been to cut him…to ‘spill blood’. I could only imagine step two was nothing short of killing someone.

            He shook his head. “You don’t need to worry about it right now. We have time.”

            “Time?”

            “Yes.”

            “How many steps are there?”

            “A few.”

            “How many is a ‘few’?”

            He shot me a sideways glance. “Human, just go to sleep.” Then he turned his gaze away from me and stared at the ground, a thoughtful expression on his face. I watched him momentarily before I shook my head and lay down near the tree, trying to get comfortable on the ground, but after having been in a bed again, it was hard to find the dirt at all comfortable.

            But I was too exhausted to care at that moment.

            Within a few minutes, I was asleep.

 

 

Someone was shaking me.

            “Human!”

            My eyes snapped open and I stared up at Kieron, who was hovering over me with a scowl plastered on his face. “What?” I breathed, sitting up as he moved away to give me room.

            He frowned. “You were whining.”

            “I was what?”

            “Whining,” he repeated. “Like you were having a nightmare.”

            Nightmare? I couldn’t remember having a nightmare, although I couldn’t remember if I’d dreamed or not. All I knew was, my heart was racing in my chest, so I must have had a nightmare, right? “Sorry,” I muttered, though why he cared if I was having a nightmare was beyond me.

            He shrugged.

            I looked around and took notice of the darkness. “How long was I out?”

            He shrugged and poked at the dying green flames of a small fire, mostly just a bunch of burning twigs. He tossed his poking stick aside and sighed. “About five hours or so.”

            “Oh.” I paused. “Did…Blaine come? Or Ashere?”

            “Ashere did.” Kieron nodded to my left and I glanced to see a canteen and a container of what looked like rhine. I reached over, suddenly realizing how hungry and thirsty I was, and snagged both the canteen and the container.

            I twisted the cap off the canteen and chugged water like a glutton before I remembered my manners and glanced quickly at Kieron, who was watching me. “Did you want some?” I offered.

            He shrugged and shook his head. “I had some earlier.” He went back to staring at the green flames, his knees pulled to his chest and his arms wrapped around his knees. His chin rested atop his knees as his back sat against a tree.

            He looked thoughtful.

            I sighed and gulped down a little more water before I capped the canteen and opened the container. I greedily bit into the rhine and had to force myself to stop after a few bites, remembering Kieron’s words about how it filled you up pretty fast. I put the rest back in the container and shoved both it and the canteen away so I wasn’t as tempted.

            “So…no more screamers?” I asked, feeling uneasy at the silence surrounding us.

            “They’re still around,” Kieron sighed, “but they’re not in the immediate area. I scouted around while Ashere watched you.”

            “Watched me?” I scoffed and stood, stretching. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

            Kieron snorted. “Says you.”

            I glared at him. “I don’t! I’m a grown man! I can take care of myself.” I turned away from him in a huff.

            Suddenly I was being spun as hands clawed at my shirt and lifted me somewhat off the ground. I stared into Kieron’s narrowed eyes and swallowed thickly.

            “You cannot ‘take care of yourself’,” Kieron sneered. Our eyes locked. “And you’d better start doing what we tell you, _when_ we tell you, otherwise you’re gonna wind up dead, human.” He snorted and released his hold on me, causing me to stagger back somewhat. He stepped back and toward the fire, shaking his head.

            “I don’t see why I have to do what you say. I mean, you guys say you hate me and stuff, but then you order me around? So I don’t _die_? What the hell?” I was gladdened they didn’t want me to die, at least not really, but seriously…what the hell was going on?

            Obviously nothing good.

            Kieron just shrugged and leaned back against a tree. “I took watch earlier, now you can return the favor.” Without waiting for a response, he settled against the tree, got comfortable, and closed his eyes. With a sigh, he murmured, “Only wake me if it’s an emergency.”

            Then he was out like a light.

 

 

 

_I wasn’t sure what was happening, but my heart was racing, my skin was on fire, and I felt this strange **loss** resonating through me, something I couldn’t explain or even begin to understand._

_There was blood in front of me. I was alone in the woods, following a trail of it, and getting more antsy with each passing moment as I followed the blood. My skin felt so itchy and uneasy that I unconsciously kept scratching at my arms._

_The blood was getting thicker in its drops and smears, here. I must have been close._

_I rounded a corner, stomped through a bush, and then stopped in my tracks at the sight before me._

_“Kieron?”_

 

 

 

_Kieron!_

            I snapped awake panting, immediately sitting up and shoving away from the tree, my eyes wide and darting around the little area we were staying in for the night. The fire had died hours ago and all that remained were burnt remnants of the twigs.

            Kieron was sleeping soundly over by his tree, but I had this burning urge to get closer, to, I don’t know, check on him or something, and soon I was sliding across the small clearing toward him.

            I settled down next to him, kneeling beside him in the dirt, just watching him…for what, I didn’t know, but it felt like it was the right thing to do. I watched the rise and fall of his chest, watching the way his eyelids twitched at times, and watched as my hand reached out and my fingers slid calmly, smoothly, over his forehead.

            Then I jerked back and glared at the immortal because surely all of this was his fault. I wouldn’t have been acting this way if it wasn’t for him! How was he even doing this to me? I sighed and looked away, focusing on the remains of the fire.

            There was movement on the ground and I looked back to see Kieron blinking his eyes open, slowly focusing on me. “Human,” he said slowly, through a yawn, “why are you over here?”

            I shrugged because I honestly didn’t have a good excuse. “Um…I thought I saw something?” I tried.

            He snorted and shook his head before yawning and sitting up. He looked up through the trees, at the moon…or what we could see of it through the branches, anyway. Then he sighed and sat with his back against the tree. “As soon as Ashere gets back, we need to get moving,” he told me.

            “Where’d he go?” I couldn’t help but ask.

            “He was going to scout the area, last I heard - and check up on his house.”

            “Can we go back there?” Because I really wanted to sleep in a bed again…

            He shook his head. “Not safe,” he said. “At least not for now, and not for us.”

            “Us?”

            “Me and you,” he clarified. “Ash can probably go back whenever, but…well, not us.”

            “What’s so special about us? Why do they keep coming after me?”

            “Human…”

            “I mean, I know I can see you or whatever, and I’m not supposed to be able to,” I said, “but what does that have to do with anything? Why are they _hunting_ me?”

            “Do we have to do this now?”

            “Yes. Because if we don’t do it now, you’ll just keep putting it off,” I muttered, shooting him a glare. “And while we’re at it - the bond?”

            He groaned. “Don’t you ever run out of questions?”

            I scoffed. “I wouldn’t have so many if you bothered to answer any of them,” I told him, because it was the truth.

            He rolled his eyes. “Like that would help. Half the explanations would make you ask more questions, and contrary to popular belief, I don’t have all the answers.”

            “You said Ashere did.”

            “No, I didn’t. I just said he knew more than me. He’s more…how can I put this…he’s more in the know.”

            “In the know?” I asked, puzzled.

            Kieron gave a slow nod. “Yeah. He’s got more connections and, well.” He shrugged. “Let’s just say he’s higher on the food chain.”

            “Higher on the food chain? What’s that supposed to mean?” It certainly didn’t sound good…right? Or did it? And if he was _higher_ …then what did that make him compared to Kieron, who was quite dangerous? I didn’t want to think about it.

            Kieron shrugged again. “We all have our orders.”

            “Orders?” I still couldn’t picture him taking orders from anyone. “What kind of orders? And how is he ‘higher’ than you?”

            “That’s just the way it is.”

            I sighed. “Yeah, okay, but-”

            “Ash,” Kieron suddenly said warmly, a smile sparking to life on his face. I turned and saw Ashere walking toward us, emerging from the trees. He smiled back and combed his fingers through his hair.

            “The coast seems clear enough,” he said, and then paused. “Although my house seems destroyed.”

            “I’m sorry, Ash,” Kieron said with a sigh. I stared. He was actually apologizing? “Maybe we shouldn’t have come.”

            “No, I’m glad you did,” Ashere said with a shrug. “I mean, it’s not like you ever _visit_ , so…”

            “Sorry. I’ve been busy.”

            “Mm. Like that’s ever stopped you before.”

            “What do you want me to say?”

            “I dunno - how about that you’ll visit _before_ ten years have gone by? Hmm?”

            Kieron rolled his eyes. I watched the two of them, feeling like a third wheel, unwanted and left out. “Okay, okay, I’ll visit,” Kieron said.

            “Promise?” Ashere asked, watching him.

            “Sure, fine, whatever. I promise.”

            Ashere smiled. “Good.” Then he looked at me. “How are you? I heard you had a concussion.”

            I shrugged. “I guess I feel better now. He _licked_ the hell out of me.”

            Kieron shot me a glare. Ashere glanced at Kieron.

            “Licked him, Kie?”

            “Well - he was hurting! We had to move,” Kieron said defensively. “He was complaining and being a whiney ass.”

            “I was not being a whiney-” I started, but was cut off as Ashere chuckled.

            “Well - good luck, then. I guess that means the bond is working,” he said before glancing away with a small sigh.

            “Hey, you’re the one who made us do it,” Kieron told him. “So technically this is _your_ fault.”

            “It’s all been predetermined, Kie,” Ashere said, shaking his head. “You know this. It’s not like we had any choice and you were delaying the inevitable.”

            Kieron snorted. “Is that why you’re with Blaine, then?”

            I shot a look at Ashere. “Whoa, what? You’re with that annoying little b-…I mean, you’re with Blaine?”

            Ashere shrugged. “Like I said, Kieron…it’s all pre-determined.”

            Kieron rolled his eyes. “Whatever. All this ‘predetermined’ bullshit should know I don’t give a damn about it.”

            “I’m so confused,” I muttered, but it wasn’t like anyone was paying attention to me. Again.

            “So…” Ashere said slowly, cutting through the suddenly thick silence surrounding us. “How far along is the, um…the bond?”

            “What do you care?”

            “Kieron,” I hissed, glaring at him because that seemed rude. Ashere was his friend, right? That sounded like something he’d say to _me_.

            Kieron shrugged and said nothing.

            Ashere sighed. “Look, I’m sorry, okay? But you had to bond and you were being a prick about it.”

            My head was spinning. “Okay, wait,” I said somewhat loudly, finally catching their attention. “I’m confused. Slow down.”

            “What now?” Kieron grumbled.

            “First off - Ashere is with Blaine? Second off - what’s with the licking? And thirdly - higher on the food chain?”

            “You’re right,” Ashere said, glancing at Kieron with a smile, “he does ask a lot of questions.”

            “You have no idea,” Kieron muttered.

            I glared at the two of them. “Well?”

            Ashere shrugged. “Well, first off, yes, I am with Blaine.”

            “But I thought, um…I thought immortals didn’t, er…love? Or…have the ‘spark’?” I asked, thinking back to what Kieron had said earlier.

            “We don’t,” Ashere said, but it was a little too fast and I wasn’t sure he was convinced of this. “But we do have, erm…partners.”

            “Partners?”

            “Mates,” Kieron said with a shrug.

            “Kieron,” Ashere hissed.

            “What? That’s what they are.”

            “What do you mean?” I asked, confused. “If you don’t, erm…love or whatever, then what? Mate?”

            “They’re together because they’re gonna get down and dirty and make more immortals,” Kieron said with a smirk.

            “Kieron!” Ashere hissed again, this time punching Kieron in the shoulder. Hard.

            Kieron actually slammed backward into the tree, but he was chuckling anyway.

            “What? It’s true,” he said.

            I frowned. “Okay, then…why?”

            “That was not one of your questions,” Kieron pointed out.

            “So?”

            He rolled his eyes.

            “Why are you, erm…mates, then?” I asked, glancing at Ashere who was still glaring at Kieron.

            “Predetermined,” Ashere muttered.

            Kieron snickered.

            Ashere punched him again. Bark broke away from the tree as Kieron’s back smashed into it.

            I sighed and decided to get to my second question. “What’s with the licking? He said something about soothing the pain?”

            “Something like that,” Ashere agreed, shooting Kieron another glare. The blue-haired immortal snapped his mouth shut.

            “What’s that mean?” I asked.

            “Well, since the bond is just starting, so to speak, he can’t do too much to help you except soothe the pain.”

            “Wait…so you’re saying he can do _more_ later?” I wasn’t so sure I liked the sound of that. Licking was bad enough.

            “Something like that,” Ashere said again, as cryptic as ever.

            Damn it.

            “Fine,” I muttered. “Third question: Kieron said you were higher on the food chain than him?”

            Ashere frowned. “Huh? Kie?” He glanced at Kieron.

            Kieron shrugged. “He asked why you knew more than me and I told him the truth.”

            “I’m not higher on the-”

            “You kinda are,” Kieron told him.

            “What’s that mean?” I asked. “Something about orders?”

            “Kieron,” Ashere groaned.

            “What? It’s true.”

            “We each have orders, yes,” Ashere told me with a heavy sigh. “I was told to work with the…well, with others.”

            “Others even higher on the food chain,” Kieron chimed in.

            Ashere punched him again.

            “Ow! Stop doing that,” Kieron hissed at him, rubbing his shoulder.

            “Then shut up,” Ashere grouched. Then he glanced back at me. “While I work with them, Kieron works, well…”

            “At the gateway,” Kieron said.

            “Gateway?” I could remember him saying something about it before. I just couldn’t remember where.

            “You know - the portals.”

            “Oh. Oh! Like how we got here?”

            Kieron nodded.

            “And that’s how you met Brian, right?”

            Another nod.

            “Wait - you went back to see Brian?” Ashere asked, frowning.

            Kieron shrugged. “Sure. We needed to get back and that was the closest place.”

            “Kieron…”

            “What’s it matter? I’m supposed to guard the gateways anyway, and isn’t that his job? We have an understanding.”

            Ashere sighed and shook his head.

            I was being ignored again.

            But at least some things were starting to make sense…

            I think.

            Kieron got to his feet and stretched. “Where’s Blaine?”

            “Around. She said she’ll meet up with us later and that we should get going without her,” Ashere said.

            “Fine by me,” Kieron said, before he shot me a glance. “You good to move now or do you need another licking?”

            I stared at him. “You did _not_ just ask me that,” I muttered.

            Kieron grinned. Actually _grinned_! “Oh,” he said, “but I _did_.”


	23. Part Ways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because sometimes friends can hate each other. Right?

Chapter Twenty-Three: Part Ways

 

 

 

I was in yet another clearing with Blaine and Ashere. Kieron was pacing along the edge, expression thoughtful so I didn’t want to disturb him, but sitting on this rotted log watching Blaine and Ashere argue wasn’t exactly my idea of ‘fun’. What they were arguing about, I didn’t know, but I could guess. Blaine kept throwing me harsh little glares and mouthing stuff to Ashere, so I assumed it was about me.

            Again.

            _Great_.

            Can anyone hear my sarcasm?

            I wasn’t sure what we were doing in this clearing. We’d walked for a few hours and had stopped when Blaine caught up with us, and now here we were. My feet were aching but that was probably because I didn’t have any freaking _shoes_. I’d been tossed into Ashere’s room rather abruptly and had been forced to dart out the window and run through the woods with only my socks on.

            Great.

            Dry clumps of blood dotted my socks. My feet hurt. I was tired and my head was still throbbing, though not nearly as bad as it had been. It was coming back, though. Of course there was no way I was going to tell this to Kieron. He’d _lick_ me again or something, and I didn’t need that happening. Nor did I _want_ it to happen.

            “What?”

            The quiet voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Kieron and Ashere were exchanging quiet, heated words, tossing each other glares before Kieron rolled his eyes and jabbed his thumb in my direction. “Watch him,” he snapped before he turned on his heel and disappeared into the trees.

            I felt a lurch in my chest and in a second I was on my aching feet and moving to follow after him. I didn’t like it here anyway, and I didn’t know Ashere or Blaine. I didn’t really know Kieron either, but I did more so than them. Besides, Blaine hated my guts, maybe even more than Kieron.

            Whoa.

            That’s a scary thought.

            Shove it aside.

            A hand caught my arm and tugged me backward. I staggered and turned, facing Ashere who was shaking his head at me. “What?” I asked, jerking my arm free. My heart picked up speed but it wasn’t really racing…just a little fast. I could feel it and hear it in the ‘thud-da-thud’ ringing through my ears. I stared off toward where Kieron had disappeared. Would I be able to catch up with him now? Maybe if I hurried. I darted forward again, this time at a quick jog.

            Blaine cut me off as she suddenly cut in front of me. I tried to stop but still managed to trip over her. She watched me slide away, a sneer on her face.

            “What?” I asked, glaring at the two of them. “Where’s Kieron going?”

            “Kieron is doing his part,” Ashere said quietly, averting his gaze. He didn’t seem happy about Kieron’s ‘part’ but nothing about ‘part’ sounded good to me, especially not right now. I stared at Ashere, surprised that he was helping Blaine keep me here. He was Kieron’s friend, right? Shouldn’t he have gone with him or let me go with him?

            There could be-

            “There could be screamers around,” I murmured my thoughts aloud.

            “Kieron can take care of himself,” Blaine said as she tossed a glare in my direction. Somehow I was still the asshole even though they were the ones keeping me here. Great.

            “But the screamers-” I tried again, because didn’t they understand that they were dangerous?

            “Kieron will be fine.”

            “Where’s he going? Why? Why alone?” I asked, confused. My feet hurt and I knew I couldn’t catch up with the blue-haired immortal by now, so I sat down on the ground and glared up at the two of them petulantly.

            “It is his job,” Blaine said with a shrug, as though it were simple. Maybe to them it was, but not to me.

            I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why I even cared. So what if he ran off and got himself, well…not _killed_ because he was immortal, but hurt. What did I care? He was an ass anyway.

            But he’d protected me so far and had helped me, and I at least wanted to _try_ and return the favor. Not to mention this stupid itching all over my body. Well, not really itching - not yet. More like I felt a little uncomfortable in my own skin.

            “What do you mean? How is it his job? And job or not, those are screamers! They’ve already stabbed him once!”

            Blaine glanced at Ashere. “Stabbed?”

            Ashere shrugged. “Something about a sword, I think.”

            “Yeah!” I said, glaring at them both. I could feel anger burning within me even though I wasn’t entirely sure why. “It wasn’t fucking pretty! I thought he was d-…He was hurt.”

            “He can’t die,” Blaine said, like that solved everything.

            “What, so he can’t feel pain?” I asked. “So if we stabbed you through with a blade - you’d be perfectly _fine_?”

            Her glare could have melted the sun. I flinched but kept glaring right back at her because if she was going to hurt me, wouldn’t she have done so by now? Besides, I was just saying the truth, right? She was the one being a jerk here - not me. I was just trying to help and these two were hindering my efforts.

            “Human, you’re pushing it,” Blaine snarled at me. Her face half-transformed for a brief moment and I saw sharp, vicious teeth. However, she didn’t quite look like Kieron when he changed. She looked more…I don’t know. She still looked vicious but not as wild as him. Not as… _wolfish_.

            I snapped my gaze toward Ashere. “Aren’t you his friend? Shouldn’t you be with him?”

            Ashere snapped his mouth shut and glared at me. Something flashed behind his eyes but it was gone by the time I blinked, so I must have imagined it. Some friend he was if he was just standing there like everything was okay while Kieron was out there with the screamers hunting us.

            Well, hunting me. And by proxy, I guess Kieron, too.

            And they’d sent him out on his own.

            Why did I freaking care? I didn’t! He was going to leave me behind anyway, so at least now I could potentially be rid of him, right? Except that suddenly wasn’t what I wanted. At the moment, my skin was starting to burn, my neck ached, and I watched the trees intently, staring at the spot Kieron had disappeared into.

            “You don’t know anything about any of us,” Ashere said, his voice low and somewhat cold, “so you’d better shut up.”

            Oh, so he wanted to play this game, huh?

            “Well, obviously you don’t know anything either, or-”

            “I leave for five minutes, and you guys are already fighting?” came Kieron’s welcome voice as he emerged from the trees to my right. I glanced over and felt my body stop hating me because the burning itch or whatever it was finally disappeared.

            “Not fighting,” I muttered, folding my arms across my chest. “Just…not agreeing with each other, that’s all.” I shot a glare toward Blaine and Ashere. Blaine returned it but Ashere didn’t even notice my little look because he was watching Kieron.

            “Anything?” he asked of the blue-haired immortal.

            Kieron shrugged lazily. “Not really. They’re still looking for us but we have a little breathing room. For now.”

            Ashere nodded. “Well, that’s good, at any rate.”

            “So what do we do now?” I asked, glancing from one face to the other.

            “We should keep going,” Ashere suggested.

            Kieron shook his head. “Nah, we shouldn’t. At least, not together. That’d just be putting all of us in danger.”

            “What do you mean?” Ashere asked, frowning. I sighed and got to my feet because it felt like it was time to move, even though they didn’t seem to be seeing exactly eye-to-eye right now.

            Kieron shrugged. “I mean the screamers are after us, not you two.”

            I paused. “Wait - I have a-”

            “We should stick together,” Ashere said as though I hadn’t even spoken. I sighed and kept quiet simply because I just had another question and it didn’t really pertain to splitting up or sticking together. At least, not really.

            “We can’t, Ashere. The screamers are after the human and me, not you and Blaine. There’s no need for us all to be chased and stabbed.”

            He said it lightly but I could almost _feel_ the underlying bitterness at having been stabbed. I could relate - I didn’t like thinking about it either.

            “Kieron…”

            “Perhaps we can compromise,” Blaine said suddenly. I glanced at her because for one glorious moment, I’d forgotten she was there. What a happy moment that had been!

            “What?” Kieron asked of her, his tone guarded, his face shuttered.

            She shrugged and tucked a lock of purple hair behind her ear. “How about we stay together for now - at least until there’s a point where we _can_ go our separate ways, safely. Then, well, all’s fair game.”

            Kieron shrugged. “Could work, I guess.”

            “I don’t like it,” Ashere muttered.

            “Yeah, well, no one asked you,” Kieron said. I frowned because that wasn’t very nice. Then again, Ashere had pissed me off after making Kieron go off on his own - even though I didn’t know _why_ I even _cared_ , but I did - and so this was like justice, right? Having Kieron be a little rude to him?

            Except it felt like it was more than that.

            Ashere glowered at Kieron but Kieron just smiled and faced me. “I know you’re hungry and we should run across some food in the next hour or so.”

            “How do you know I’m-”

            He snorted and actually tossed me a faint smile. “Please, human. I could hear your stomach growling from a mile away.”

 

 

We’d stopped for the night. My feet were on fire, green flames were flickering to life around the pile of wood, my body felt stiff and I was exhausted. I wanted to sleep but somehow, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to. My head was still throbbing but there was no way I was going to bring it up to any of them. Kieron might lick me again, or, _worse_ , one of the others might lick me. Blech!

            Currently, Kieron and Ashere were talking quietly amongst themselves. Neither looked relatively happy and Kieron kept sneering so I assumed it wasn’t going well. Blaine, meanwhile, was sitting near the fire, prodding it to life with a stick, and I sat as far away from her as possible.

            My stomach was growling. They’d said we’d find food earlier but we never had simply because Kieron had somehow smelled screamers nearby and we’d had to suddenly change directions lest we ran into them. Therefore, no food, more walking, and I was exhausted, sore, and hungry.

            Not a very good combination, really.

            Kieron finally growled something under his breath and approached the fire, leaving Ashere sitting there on the side. A moment later, Ashere sighed, got up and joined him.

            “I’m just saying,” Ashere muttered, but they were close enough now that I could hear them if I listened, “he’s _your_ human. You feed him.”

            “He’s not _my_ -” Kieron cut himself off and shook his head. “You know what? I think we’re done here. Nice talking to you again, Ashere.” His shoulders set in a rigid tenseness, he walked away from Ashere again and toward me. “Let’s go, human. We’re leaving.”

            “Leaving?” I echoed as though I didn’t know the meaning of the word. I glanced behind Kieron at Ashere, who was glaring at me like it was _my_ fault. I hadn’t even been involved in the conversation!

            “Kieron,” Ashere said as he approached us. Kieron growled beneath his breath and spun to face him. “You don’t have to leave.”

            “No - you just want me to do all these little _errands_ for you,” the blue-haired immortal spat distastefully. I climbed to my feet as Ashere narrowed his eyes into small, dangerous slits.

            “You know it’s not like that,” he snapped.

            “Then what’s it like, huh? Scouting the woods, I was fine with that. Distraction, I was fine with that too.”

            “Distraction?” I asked before I could stop myself, but of course I was ignored by both of them. I sighed.

            “But,” Kieron said as he took a threatening step forward, “this is where I draw the damn line. I might be _beneath_ you or whatever, but that gives you no damn right to order me around, do you understand? I’m not sticking the fuck around so you can be my goddamn _boss_. I have enough of those already!”

            _Bosses?_ I thought to myself. But then, who else would make Kieron take ‘orders’?

            Kieron spun back around and snagged my arm. “We’re leaving. _Now_.”

            “But I-”

            “Kieron!” Ashere grabbed the blue-haired immortal’s arm and pulled him away from me so quickly I staggered and nearly collapsed as his grip was torn away from my arm. “Don’t be ridiculous!”

            “Hey, we followed the plan. Now it’s time to split up.” A sneer crossed Kieron’s face before he looked back at me. “Let’s. _Go_.”

            “Okay, okay, just-” I started, walking toward him because he was already pissed and I didn’t want to make it worse.

            “Kieron,” Ashere hissed, cutting me off. Kieron tossed him a glare and then turned on his heel, marching toward the trees. I quickly followed after him, not wanting him to decide to turn his wrath onto me instead. “ _Kieron_.”

            “ _What_?” Kieron spat, turning to face him. I stopped at the edge of the trees and watched the two of them. I had no idea what they were talking about or why they were fighting - they were friends, right? They’d seemed so close earlier! - but I also didn’t really want to get involved just yet. Maybe I’d ask about it later, when Kieron had time to cool down.

            “You don’t have to go,” Ashere said, his voice suddenly quiet. “I…Look, I’m sorry, okay?”

            Kieron snorted and then paused. I watched as his blue eyes roamed up and down Ashere and then he turned away. “Goodbye, Ashere. See you in another decade.” Then he walked into the trees and disappeared from sight.

            I stood there a moment longer, looking at Ashere, frowning as I tried to figure out why they both seemed so angry, and then I darted into the trees because I didn’t want to be left behind.

 

 

 

After an hour of walking, I couldn’t take it anymore. I was dying to know what was going on, why’d we’d left in such a hurry, and…well, I had a lot of questions, as Kieron was so keen on saying. So after an hour, I tapped his shoulder and waited until he turned his head to face me, slowing his pace.

            “What?” he grunted. He seemed annoyed but not necessarily ‘pissed’ anymore, so I took that as a plus.

            “Er, well…what was that all about? With Ashere?”

            He snorted and shook his head, looking away. “Why?”

            “Why not?” I countered.

            A faint smirk crossed his face. “Touché, human. If you must know, we don’t always see eye to eye.”

            “I got that,” I sighed, shaking my head. “But what were you fighting for? And what did you mean, distraction? Errands? I thought you two were friends but it…for a minute there it was like you hated each other.”

            He shrugged, not denying it. “When you’ve been friends as long as we have, it’s okay to hate them sometimes.”

            “How long have you been friends?” Which begged the question of his age, but I really doubted he’d actually tell me that, so I settled for this question instead. It might give me some hint, at least. I watched him curiously.

            He sighed. “Depends on what you count as ‘friendship’.”

            “Um…” I didn’t have a really good definition because, even with me, it varied with each of my friends. John I trusted not to have ‘surprise sex’ with me, but Rufus was always full of…well, ‘surprises’, I guess.

            “Exactly. Let’s just say we’ve known each other for years. We occasionally get on each other’s nerves.”

            “I noticed,” I muttered. “But that seemed…I don’t know. What were you arguing about?”

            “It doesn’t matter,” Kieron sighed as we kept walking.

            “Why not?” I asked, trying not to trip as my sore, aching and cut feet snagged on roots or stepped on something hard and sharp. Ow. Never again would I sleep without shoes on! Apparently here, I had to be ready for anything and everything…even when sleeping and surrounded by immortals.

            Oh. Thinking about that reminded me of one of my questions which he had pretty much brushed off. Now I narrowed my eyes at him.

            “What did you mean by ‘distraction’?” I asked, quickening my pace to catch up with the immortal. My feet were throbbing so much I was limping and I was about to call it quits and just sit down. He’d either have to leave me behind or wait, and since he hadn’t left me so far - even though he’d said he was going to - I doubted he’d just randomly do it _now_.

            “Nothing, human,” he grunted.

            “But I-” I paused and thought back. “Wait. Distraction? Is that why you sent me out of the house and had _Blaine_ come find me? Because you were being a _distraction_?”

            I wasn’t sure which thought disturbed me more: the fact that Kieron was basically bait for those screamers or that Ashere had been in on the plan of actually _using_ him as bait. Both of them made my stomach churn uneasily.

            Kieron shrugged. “Something like that,” he mumbled beneath his breath. I wasn’t sure if he meant for me to hear or not, but I did. He slowed down a bit and soon we were walking next to each other. I felt his gaze on me and looked over to find him watching me out of the corner of his eye. “Feet hurt?”

            “Mm, a lot,” I told him, hoping we could stop.

            Kieron hesitated. “Can you make it a little further?”

            He was actually _asking_? Instead of just _demanding_ that I keep moving? Dear God, who was this doppelganger and where was the real Kieron! I stared at him, so shocked all I could do was stammer, “Y-Yeah…”

            Pathetic.

            “Alright. There should be a town not too far from here. About another hour or so, I think. We can stay there for the night.”

            I nodded. “Okay.”

            Another hour.

            Of walking.

            God damn it.


	24. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kieron was probably cute as a kid. And innocent. Then again, maybe not.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Family

 

 

 

It felt amazingly good to finally be able to stop walking and sit down. Like, unbelievably so. Not to mention we were outside of a house at the edge of some small town. On the porch was a wooden swing and that was where I was sitting…meanwhile, Kieron was pacing the length of the front porch, a crease in his brow. He seemed almost hesitant but I couldn’t figure out why. I mean, he was the one who brought me here, right?

            “Kieron?” I asked quietly, debating about whether or not I needed to stand or if I could stay sitting. Sitting won in the end. “Kieron?” He didn’t seam to be hearing me, as he kept watching the ground as he paced, his brows furrowed together in a mixture of what looked like annoyance and dread.

            I stood which made my feet hate me, but I had to do it. Upon approaching him, I reached out and lightly prodded his shoulder in hopes he’d face me or respond or something, but nope. He just kept pacing. He combed his fingers through his hair and sighed heavily. I jabbed him in the shoulder a little harder. He surely felt that, right? I wasn’t _entirely_ weak, after all…right?

            “Kieron,” I hissed right into his ear, leaning in and everything. If he moved I’d probably fall over. It got his attention, though, as he snapped his gaze around and I suddenly found myself staring into dark blue eyes…

            A little over an inch in front of me…

            His breaths tickled my face and neck. So close. We were close.

            I shook my head and stepped back, giving into a sheepish smile. “Erm…hi,” I said weakly, with a stupid little wave.

            He breathed sharply through his nose. “What, human?”

            I scowled. “Well…you led us here…and now you’re pacing…and ignoring me…again…” I murmured, shifting my feet. “What’s up?”

            He shook his head and turned away again. “Nothing that concerns you.”

            “Then why don’t we go in…?”

            Kieron scrubbed a hand over his face and nodded. With a heavy sigh, he walked toward the door and pushed it open without knocking. What. The. Hell. At least at Ashere’s, he’d knocked. Sure, we’d let ourselves in at Lehane’s, but no one had been home, so…

            We entered a living room, nicely decorated. It seemed pretty _human_ to me, but whatever. Chairs - not wooden but not recliners either - lined the far wall, while a couch sat in the center, long and wide. It looked comfortable. I fought the urge to sit on it and followed Kieron as he passed through the living room and into the kitchen.

            The kitchen was brightly lit, actually. It made the living room seem dark in comparison. Crickets chirped outside - they had crickets too! - but stopped the further we got toward the open kitchen window. Kieron moved toward the odd-looking refrigerator - it looked like a giant cooler, almost - and pulled out a bottle of water, which he tossed to me. I caught it without thinking and chugged about half of it before my throat felt satisfied.

            “Where are we?” I asked.

            Kieron grimaced and shook his head. “It’s not important. There’s a room you can sleep in. Follow me.”

            He exited the kitchen and I followed after him. I felt confused about where we were, why he seemed so on edge, and I had about a million other questions…but for the meantime, I kept quiet because the actual thought of a room and a _bed_ was suddenly euphoric to me.

            He pushed open a door at the end of a long, dark hallway, then suddenly stilled, his eyes falling closed for a moment before they opened and focused on me. “They’re back,” he said quietly before he snagged my arm and shoved me into the room. “Get some sleep.”

            Then he snapped the door shut and I was alone in a dark room.

            _Who’s back?_ I thought to myself, frowning as I squinted through the darkness. You’d think I’d be used to it by now, but apparently not. I took a few steps forward and rammed my shin into the bed. Wincing, I sat down and reveled in the softness of the mattress. At least some things were decidedly still _human_ here.

            Voices echoed in the hallway. I couldn’t make out what they were saying but they were clearly there. A part of me wanted to figure out who they were and what was happening, but a much larger part of me argued that my feet were on fire, my head was throbbing, and my body was aching.

            I shut my eyes and slipped off to sleep.

 

 

 

I woke to the sun tickling my face through the single window in the room. Finally I’d slept through the night! It was daylight now! Was I actually back on my normal schedule? I tossed the covers off me and sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I felt decidedly rested, more so than I had for a while now.

            And what was that? Did I smell…? No, it couldn’t be. This was Ethereal, surely they didn’t have…

            But no! It was!

            It was bacon! I smelled bacon!

            Quickly, I all but ran from the room and down the hall, following the scent into the kitchen. I staggered to a stop once I entered because there was a guy sitting at the kitchen table, already eating a plate of bacon, and a woman standing at the stove. It looked like one of those gas stoves but yet…more modern? Like something I’d never really seen before. She had a glass skillet and an oddly shaped spatula.

            The man looked up at me from his plate and glanced me over, a scowl splitting across his face. It looked oddly familiar. His dark black hair - so deep a black it almost looked dark blue - hung down around his blue eyes. Freckles treaded across his nose in a haphazard pattern, little soldiers of faint brown across the pale skin. His lips were chapped yet greasy at the same time, greasy with little bits of bacon which he licked away quickly before clearing his throat.

            “You must be Terry,” he said evenly, but his eyes were still narrowed and I wasn’t entirely sure how to behave.

            “Erm…uh, yes, that’s me,” I said, shifting my feet nervously. “Is, um…Is Kieron here?”

            I wasn’t sure why, but I did feel a little more…at peace? Sure. A little more _at peace_ when he was around. Probably because I knew him. I mean, I didn’t really _know_ him but I’d been around him more than any of the others so far.

            Plus this guy was eying me like his prey…and that was very unnerving.

            “Kieron?” The man nodded. “I think he’s still sleeping. Down the hall to the left is his room.”

            “Alright,” I mumbled before I quickly left the room and moved down the hallway. There were two doors on the left but I picked the nearest one and pushed the door open. It was the right one because I could see a lump on the bed. It was a small room but cozy-looking, with light seeping through the window, trickling across the floor in little waves of color.

            I moved toward the bed and sat on the edge, biting down on my bottom lip. Sighing, I reached a hand out and grabbed Kieron’s shoulder. I almost didn’t want to wake him because he looked so at peace when he was sleeping. No frowns or scowls marred his face and he looked truly content at the moment…I really didn’t want to ruin it, but the food was cooking and I didn’t know who these people were.

            “Kieron,” I murmured, giving him a light shake. “Kieron - hey. C’mon, wake up.” A pause. “Wakey-wakey, eggs and bakey!”

            He pried an eye open and tossed me a glare. “Don’t you _ever_ say that to me again,” he threatened, but it was quiet and lacked any real fire.

            I grinned at him. “Breakfast time, Kie!”

            “And don’t call me that,” he muttered, sitting up. He scrubbed a hand over his face.

            “I’ll stop calling you Kie when you stop calling me ‘human’,” I told him, and watched as the cover slid off his frame, revealing his bare chest. He had some muscles but not obnoxiously so. It was more like he was ‘athletic’ but that wasn’t right, either. I wasn’t sure how to quite describe it other than ‘mmm’…

            _Gah! What am I thinking?! There is no ‘mmm’ with him! No! None!_ I told myself firmly.

            I quickly averted my gaze and hoped he couldn’t hear my heart smacking away at my ribcage.

            “Hand me that, will you?”

            I startled and glanced at him. “Huh?”

            He pointed at a small wooden chair next to the bed on my side. “Could you get that? My shirt?”

            “Oh, um…sure.” I snagged the article of clothing and tossed it to him. He pulled it on and yawned, tossing his feet over the side of the bed. “Where are we?”

            “Huh?”

            “Where are we?” I repeated.

            He shrugged. “Does it matter? We’re safe here…for now, anyway.”

            “Okay…but who are these people? And…” I wanted to ask why he’d seemed anxious last night, but then again I didn’t want to make him mad. So I just kept quiet about that.

            “Well, for starters, the guy is Rhett and the girl is Joanna but call her Jo. Anything else?” he drawled as he got to his feet and stretched. His bare feet padded across the hardwood floor.

            “Erm…why are we here?”

            “I already told you that.”

            I sighed. Getting answers from him was like pulling teeth.

            “Are they perpetuals?”

            “Mm, yeah.” His hand gripped the knob and twisted. He pushed the door open and entered the hallway. A moment later, I sighed and followed after him.

            We entered the kitchen.

            The guy, Rhett, gave Kieron a smile. Kieron stepped toward him and the two shook hands kind of awkwardly. Joanna - er…Jo - finished the bacon and put the remaining pieces on plates. At the center of the table was a bowl full of scrambled eggs.

            “Help yourselves,” she announced, even though Rhett had been doing just that before.

            Kieron sat down on Rhett’s right side so I sat down on Kieron’s right. Jo got placed between me and Rhett. We each grabbed our plates - except Rhett who’d already devoured his share - and scraped some food onto them before we started eating.

            Soon we were finished and Kieron stood, collecting the dishes to put into the sink. I watched him, transfixed. He was actually being _helpful_? And…dear God, he wasn’t actually doing the _dishes_ , was he? He was!

            A few minutes later found him elbow-deep in suds. My eyes were dry I was staring so hard.

            Jo and Rhett didn’t find it odd, though. They just started conversing quietly amongst themselves and ignored Kieron. Hmm. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, unsure of what my role was here. Was there something I should have been doing? Could I help somehow? I felt so out of place.

            Kieron finished the dishes and wiped his hands off before he sat back down at the table. I caught a faint whiff of the dish soap although I couldn’t identify what kind it was.

            “How are you, Kieron?” Jo asked, watching him.

            Her eyes were a greenish-blue, more like a teal than anything else. She had long blonde hair which was pulled back in a loose ponytail. Her face was tan in comparison to Kieron and Rhett and looked almost flawless.

            Kieron shrugged. “I’m fine,” he grunted.

            “Have you heard from Kleo?” Rhett asked.

            “Uh, no. Not since last year.”

            “She’d like to see you,” Jo said encouragingly.

            Who was Kleo and why were they talking about her? I was so confused…

            Kieron scowled. “I might stop by sometime…after things cool down.”

            “She might be able to help,” Rhett pointed out with a smile.

            “Mm. I’ll think about it.”

            “Who’s Kleo?” I asked once I couldn’t take it any longer. Three pairs of eyes turned toward me and focused. I shifted uneasily in my seat.

            Kieron sucked in a breath and released it slowly. “We’ll talk about it later,” he mumbled.

            “Kieron, go ahead - tell him who she is,” Jo urged.

            The blue-haired immortal sighed, licked his lips, and then grunted, “My sister.”

            I started. “What? Huh?”

            He didn’t just say…

            “My sister,” he sighed. “She’s my sister.”

            “You have a _sister_?” I spluttered, staring at him.

            He shot me a glare. “Do you have selective hearing? Yeah, I have a sister. What, you don’t have siblings in your world?”

            “Of course we do,” I snapped back.

            “Then?”

            “It’s just…um…nothing.” It was just that I couldn’t picture him as having a sister. Why had he never mentioned her before now? Why hadn’t we gone to her in the first place? If our roles were reversed, I definitely would have taken him to Tommy before anyone else.

            I think.

            I mean, I trusted Tommy. I trusted John, too, but…c’mon. Tommy was family.

            He glared at me a moment longer and then shrugged. Jo and Rhett watched us.

            “Have you told him nothing, Kieron?” Jo asked exasperatedly.

            “Not really,” I told her. “He won’t answer my questions.”

            Rhett laughed. “Yeah, sounds like him.”

            “I bet he also didn’t tell you who we are,” Jo murmured. It wasn’t a question so I didn’t bother answering. Instead, I just watched her, waiting for her to tell me even though Kieron was glaring at us. “We’re his parents.”

            I stared. Blinked a few times. Gaped. “His _what_?”

            She did not just say-

            “We’re his parents,” she repeated calmly.

            “His _parents_?” I looked them over. “But…but you don’t look any older than him!”

            Jo chuckled. “Ah, the perks of forever being young.”

            Forever being young? Oh, yeah. Right. Immortal. Come to think of it, all of the ones I’d met so far had been young-looking. Even though I was pretty damn sure they were way older. By decades. No, wait - probably _centuries_. I sighed and sat back in my chair, slumping a little.

            I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to any of-

            Wait a minute.

            “You took me to your _parents’_?” I asked, astonished as I glanced at Kieron, who looked rather annoyed. “And what was with the pacing last night?”

            “Human, be quiet,” he said, giving me a sharp look.

            “Kieron, that’s not very nice - I thought you said his name was Terry?” Jo asked.

            “It is,” Kieron said through clenched teeth.

            I grinned. “So you _do_ know how to say my name! And you told it to them instead of ‘human’! Aw, Kie, didn’t know ya cared so much.”

            His eyes flashed. “Call me that again and I’ll-”

            Rhett chuckled, cutting Kieron off. “C’mon, Kieron - take it easy on the poor fellow. He’s being hunted.”

            Kieron slumped in his chair, arms folded across his chest, a scowl plastered on his face. I smirked because he totally looked like a kid getting scolded by his parents. I almost felt the urge to hug him.

            Almost.

           

 

 

Kieron took off around midday and left me with his parents. That still seemed weird to me - his parents. Then I remembered what he’d said about his parents.

            _His voice turned sharp. “I was made because I was needed.”_

_“What’s that mean? Needed?”_

_“Two perpetuals were told to get together and create more perpetuals. Six months later, here I am.”_

            I swallowed. These must have been those ‘two perpetuals’. Well, they seemed nice enough to me. Surely they loved their son, right? Even though Kieron claimed they didn’t get to ‘love’ anyone because they didn’t have that ‘spark’? And if they didn’t love each other, then why were Rhett and Jo still together?

            Which also begged the question: Why were Blaine and Ashere together? Kieron had said they were to ‘get down and dirty’ as he’d so nicely put it, but obviously they hadn’t yet. Couldn’t they just hook up when it was time and then walk away with no strings attached? You know, other than the obvious infant…

            Gah, this was making my head hurt. I quickly shoved those thoughts away.

            I didn’t know where Kieron went, but he’d left with a loud _snap_ of the door and I’d been left in the living room with his parents. Jo was reading a book and Rhett was taking a nap on that comfortable-looking couch. I felt completely out of place. Especially since there didn’t seem to be a TV. Did they even have those here? Hmm.

            Kieron had left about two hours ago. All this time I’d either paced the house, sat in the living room, or been in my room. By this point I’d pretty much locked myself in the bedroom I’d been given and was trying to take a nap of some sort. I still felt sore all over but at least I was full now. Well, not _full_ seeing as how it’d been a while since we’d had breakfast, but I felt pretty damn content at the moment. The only thing that would have made this better would be if I was actually in _my_ apartment, in _my_ bed, surrounded by _my_ things.

            But alas, I wasn’t.

            I’d just started to really drift off when I felt a presence in the room. I opened my eyes and looked around to find Kieron standing by a door. It wasn’t the door that led out of the room but a different one. Probably to a closet. His hand twisted around the knob and opened the door, very quietly. He seemed to deliberately be trying to stay quiet - for my sake? Was that it? Or did he not want anyone to know he was back yet?

            I sat up. “What are you doing?”

            He shot me a look over his shoulder. “Nothing,” he hissed. “Be quiet. Go back to sleep.” He returned to digging around in the closet.

            “What are you…? Don’t you have a room?” They were his parents, after all - surely he had his own room…wait, he did! They’d specifically told me earlier that he was in ‘his’ room, I just hadn’t realized it at the time.

            Oh, I had to investigate. I had to enter his room and snoop around, see what a little Kieron might have been like. I snickered at the image in my mind, of a little toddler with shaggy blue hair and bright sapphire eyes, untarnished and-

            Now I just felt sad.

            Because he wasn’t like that anymore, if he ever had been. Surely he’d been a kid, right? Innocent and…but not anymore.

            “Of course I have a room,” he snapped back indignantly. “I just need…ah, here we go.” He pulled out what looked like a knapsack.

            “What’s that for?” I crawled out of bed and approached him.

            “Go back to sleep.” He shut the closet door and turned on his heel to leave the room, but without thinking, I reached out and caught his shoulder, stopping him. He paused, blinked at my hand on his shoulder and then at me, and then at my hand again.

            I released his shoulder. “What’s that for?” I asked again.

            He shrugged. “Nothing, really. I’m just going somewhere.”

            “Oh. Where are we going?”

            He shook his head. “Not _we_. Just me.”

            “What? Why?” So far he’d dragged me all over the place. Wait…was he ditching me now? “You’re pawning me off on them? Seriously?” I glared at him, feeling anger burn through my veins with a red-hot fire I couldn’t even begin to understand or explain.

            A scowl slid over his face like a dark shadow. “No, human.” He sounded annoyed. “No, I’m not ‘pawning you off’ on them. I’m just leaving for a bit. I’ll be back.”

            “Where are you going?” I asked quietly.

            “What’s it matter?”

            “Kieron.”

            He sighed and rolled his shoulders in a faint shrug. “Scouting.”

            “Scouting?” I echoed like I didn’t understand the meaning of the word. “Why?”

            “Just to see if there’s anyone around.”

            “Like screamers.”

            “Yes, human. Like screamers. Among other things.”

            “Other things?” I blinked at him. “What do you mean, _other things_? What else is…wait a minute, what was that stupid figure with the red eyes?”

            Oh no. There was no way I’d forgotten about it.

            “Not right now.”

            “Why not? If not now, then when?” I demanded, because I wanted to know what that figure was. “He was strong. Tossed you around like you were a _human_.”

            His eyes flashed in a glare. “Need I remind you I was _healing_ at the time?”

            “Your point?”

            He growled beneath his breath and then shook his head. “Go back to sleep. We’ll talk later.”

            “But that’s what you _always_ -” I started, but flinched at the sound of the door snapping shut in my face as he left the room -”say…” I finished.

            I sighed and trudged back toward the bed.


	25. Used to Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not all perpetuals are created equal, it seems.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Used to Pain

 

 

 

Being left alone with Kieron’s parents at the breakfast table was pretty damn awkward, to be honest. He’d been gone pretty much all night and well into the morning so far. I had no idea where he was or how long he’d be gone, but I wasn’t sure how much more I could take of this - with his parents watching me like I was a specimen to study.

            I poked at my food even though I was hungry. I felt overly out of place and…not necessarily _unwanted_ , but very uncomfortable. Before long, I excused myself and went back to the room I’d been staying in thus far. I sat on the bed and sighed heavily, wondering when the blue-haired immortal would return. It wasn’t that his parents were bad or anything…it was just, why would he leave me here with them if he wasn’t just pawning me off on them, like he’d planned to do with Ashere?

            Except, he’d said he would come back.

            Would he?

            When?

            Why did I care?

            I didn’t. Nope.

            At least here I had food and a bed. At least here I wasn’t being snapped at for the smallest thing. At least here I had a freaking _name_. At least here things were better.

            Except…somehow they weren’t because I was alone and even though Kieron was a royal ass, I did want him to come back. I’d gotten used to being around him and I wasn’t fond of change - that was all.

            Sighing, I sat on my bed and scrubbed a hand across my face. Stubble pricked at the skin on the palm of my hand. I needed to shave. A shower sounded excellent, too. I wondered if they had one available. I’d been to the bathroom but I hadn’t seen a tub or anything. Maybe there was another room or something.

            I hoped so, anyway. I didn’t like feeling filthy, covered in sweat and dried blood. I’d washed as much as I could away, but some still remained.

            Oh well. I didn’t want to leave the room again right now. It wasn’t that I didn’t like Kieron’s parents - they were surprisingly nice to me, despite Kieron’s attitude - it was just that I felt out of place with them, like they were constantly watching me, waiting for something…judging me. Even though I had no idea why.

            I just decided I would rather stay here than out there with them. Kieron would return soon and things would return to normal.

            Oh my God.

            I couldn’t believe those words! Back to _normal_? None of this was normal! Freaking _Atlantis_ wasn’t normal! Neither were immortals or vicious screamers!

            None of this was normal, but it was actually starting to become the norm for me these days.

            I wasn’t sure what that said about me.

            But I didn’t like it.

            Maybe some sleep would help me think clearly. Yeah, that sounded great. Besides, I finally had a bed to use - I wasn’t sure how long that would last, so I wasn’t going to waste it. I laid down on my bed and smashed my head into the nearly-flat pillow.

            Sleep claimed me almost instantly.

 

 

 

When I woke, there was a blue-haired immortal sneaking into my room, empty knapsack in hand. I sat up and glared at him. “Where have you been?” I snapped.

            Kieron shot me a glare and tossed the knapsack to the ground. “I told you - I went scouting.”

            “All night?” I drawled, tossing the covers off me. I had to admit I felt pretty refreshed and more like myself than I had in ages. The only thing that would make this better was… “Please tell me you have a shower here.”

            He snorted. “Yes - we do.”

            “Where?”

            He scrubbed a hand over his face. “I’ll show you.” He turned and left the room, giving me no choice but to follow after him. His parents were in the kitchen, talking quietly amongst themselves when we passed by the opening and continued on through the living room, to the other side of the house. There he opened a door, which I’d previously thought led to a closet, and turned on the lights.

            It had been semi-dark in my room, as the sun was starting to set - wow, I’d been asleep for a while! - but in this room, there were no windows. As the light turned on, I caught a quick glimpse of Kieron’s pale face and blue eyes as he shifted his gaze toward me. Disheveled blue bangs hung limply around his face, dipping into his eyes.

            He opened his mouth to say something, but then suddenly winced and staggered forward, into me. Without thinking, I brought my arms up and caught him. “Kieron?”

            His legs gave way and he sank to his knees, his body suddenly rigid, his eyes screwed shut as though in pain, but I didn’t see any wounds - what was happening?

            “Kieron? Kieron!”

            I heard screaming - pained, agonized shouts, but they weren’t coming from Kieron. They were coming from the other room - the kitchen. His parents? What was-

            Kieron brought his hands up and pressed them into his head, expression pained. Harsh pants escaped his mouth.

            “Kieron?” Down on my knees in front of him, I grabbed his shoulders and gave him a harsh shake. “Kieron? Hey! Kieron! What’s wrong? What’s going on? Are you okay? Kieron!”

            _What’s going on?_ I thought worriedly. _What’s happening?_

            My skin felt itchy but I wasn’t sure why. Even if it had something to do with the bond, Kieron was right here, in front of me, and he was…well, he wasn’t _fine_ but he wasn’t hurt either, right? At least, I didn’t see any blood…

            So why were his parents screaming? Why was he down like this, looking so vulnerable?

            It wasn’t right.

            “Kieron?” I asked uncertainly, tightening my grip on his shoulders.

            The shouts of his parents died down and away. All that remained, shattering the silence, was the sound of Kieron’s harsh pants, but they were easing down as well. After a few more deep breaths, his eyes blinked open. Confusion settled like a dark haze across his suddenly sweaty face.

            “Kieron? Kieron, what happened? Are you okay?” I asked quickly.

            He still hadn’t shrugged me off, which was pretty surprising. It was also somewhat worrying.

            He swallowed a few times before shaking his head. “I don’t…know.”

            “What do you mean? What happened?”

            “I don’t know. I don’t know what happened, I just…”

            “What?”

            “I don’t know. It was just…like I couldn’t breathe, and…I don’t know.”

            “Are you okay?” I asked again.

            “I’m fine.”

            “Well, that didn’t _look_ fine. Or _sound_ fine,” I said, remembering his parents. “Your parents were shouting.”

            He frowned and finally shrugged me off. My hands fell to my sides limply. “They were?”

            “Mm - like they were in pain too, or something.”

            Confusion furrowed his brow but he only shoved himself to his feet and then staggered somewhat. I jumped up as well, ready to steady him if necessary, but he just looked around like he was somewhat disorientated, before he finally sighed and pressed a hand to his head.

            “You okay?” I asked once more.

            “Head’s throbbing but it’s not too bad - mostly just annoying,” he said before he pushed out of the little room and toward the kitchen.

            He and his mother nearly smacked into each other. Jo looked anxious, her eyes wide with alarm and a type of… _understanding_ I couldn’t even begin to describe. It was like she knew what was wrong.

            Did she? Because she looked pretty shaken up. They both did. I was sure if I saw Rhett, he’d look about the same, too. Jo clasped Kieron’s arm and tugged him to her in the first display of affection I’d seen between them. Even so, Kieron stiffened at the contact and remained rigid while she gave him a very brief hug. Then she pulled away and dropped her hand.

            “Have you spoken to Ashere recently?” she asked, frowning at the blue-haired immortal.

            Kieron shrugged. “Yeah, not long ago. Right before we came here. Why?” He narrowed his eyes at his mother suspiciously.

            She shook her head. “Is he coming here?”

            “Er…not that I know of, but you know Ash,” he replied with another shrug. He slid a glance my way, scanned his gaze over me and then paused. “You okay, human?”

            I nodded. “I’m fine.” I was actually pretty surprised he’d asked about my well-being. Then again, these days, it seemed he was full of surprises.

            He snorted and shook his head before glancing at his mother again. “What do you think happened?”

            “I am not entirely sure. I will need to confer with the others.”

            _Others?_ I thought to myself, but Kieron seemed to know what she was talking about, because he nodded once, slowly, and then pushed his way out of the room.

            I frowned at his mother before following after him.

            “So I take it you all felt it,” I said, because it wasn’t a question.

            Kieron grunted and trudged through the house, toward his room. He shoved the door open and entered. I trailed after him, shutting the door once we were both in the room.

            “Why were they screaming and you weren’t?” I couldn’t help but ask, because I had been there while it was happening to him. He’d looked to be in such pain but he hadn’t made a sound - not like his parents, anyway. They’d been shouting, screaming in pain, but not him. “Was it worse for them?”

            Kieron shrugged. “Probably the same.”

            “Then why…?”

            Blue eyes landed on me, silencing me. “They’re higher up than me.”

            Higher up? “You mean like, um…like Ashere?”

            He nodded.

            “Oh. Well, so what?”

            He watched me like I was stupid. “They’re higher up.”

            “Yeah, and?”

            Now he scrubbed a hand over his face, looking rather drained. I bet he was exhausted. A part of me felt bad for pestering him with these questions, but I knew if I didn’t push the matter now, I’d probably never get an answer.

            “I’m lower.”

            “Mm, and?”

            “Damn it, human, I’m tired.”

            “I can see that.”

            “Then get the hell out and let me sleep,” Kieron hissed, tossing me an icy glare as he sat down his bed, kicking his shoes - boots? - off.

            I sent him a glare of my own. “I’m just trying to _understand_ ,” I said, “it can’t be that hard. Just tell me straight.”

            “Fine, you really wanna know?” Kieron growled, and I nodded. “Shit, human, I’m sure you have fucking _wars_ in your world.”

            “Yeah,” I said, frowning. “And?”

            “You have little shit soldiers who do all the dirty work.”

            “I wouldn’t call them-”

            “And you have fucking captains and sergeants who reap all the fucking benefits too, I’ll bet.”

            “Well, when you put it like-” Again, I was cut off.

            “I’m a little foot soldier, sent to do the dirty work. Jo, Rhett? Ashere? Fucking Bane? They’re the little captains who get the little sheltered life with all the food, guns, ammunition, whatever the fuck they want.”

            I frowned at him, uncertain. He sounded pissed but then, I was pushing the matter and he’d already admitted to being tired.

            Dark blue eyes watched me, latched onto my gaze as I stepped a little closer. His room was dart, only a small sliver of light seeping through his window. It was nearly dark out now.

            “You still don’t fucking get it?” he hissed.

            “No! Why don’t you fucking _explain_ it to me instead of using all these stupid little riddles!” I snapped back, glaring.

            He scrubbed a hand over his face, closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them, staring me down. I swallowed at the dark look hidden in his eyes, a guarded, shuttered expression shadowing his face. “I’m a fighter, human. I’ve been, well, let’s see.” He held up a hand and starting ticking things off with his fingers. “I’ve been stabbed, rammed through with a fucking _sword_ , shot, drowned, hit by a fucking _car_ , and about a million other things.”

            He said this so calmly it left me breathless. A car? How had that happened? Drowned?

            “My _parents_?” He said the word with such disdain. “Ashere? Bane? They’ve had, oh, I don’t know. All of _nothing_ fucking done to them because they’re fucking _higher_ than me.”

            “I don’t…why wouldn’t they…be hurt too?” Why was he getting hurt but not them? It didn’t make any sense!

            “Ashere deals in information. He’s got some pretty damn good connections,” Kieron explained with a heavy sigh. I edged a little closer and wondered if I could chance sitting next to him on the bed so I could hear him a little better now that he was talking a little softer, but I doubted that would go over well.

            “Okay - and?” Getting information could be dangerous, right?

            “I guard the fucking gateway.” A pause. “Most of them.”

            “And?” I could see how that was dangerous. The image of those screamers at my house and chasing us was still pretty damn sharp in my mind.

            “ _I_ fight the screamers, the immortals, and whatever the hell else needs its ass kicked,” Kieron muttered distastefully. “ _They_ get to stay behind and sip fucking ice tea and wait for my return so they can even _get_ the information. And then what do they do? They don’t fucking _tell_ me _anything_.” His hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. His eyes flashed and a low growl emanated form his throat. I swallowed.

            “That doesn’t seem fair,” I murmured, because what he was telling me sounded like they just sent him into everything and they stayed behind. Even in the Army, sergeants and whatnot went into battle as well. They were in just as much danger as everyone else.

            Apparently the same couldn’t be said for here, though.

            “No,” he said with a bitter laugh, “it’s not.”

            I took a chance and sat down next to him. When he didn’t immediately growl at me and shove me off the bed, I relaxed a little. He wasn’t even looking at me, but at the ground, hunched forward with his elbows on his knees.

            “So…what do you think happened?” I asked, opting for a change of subject because he was really upset about this, about how ‘unfair’ it was, and I didn’t want him to become so angry he actually lashed out or something, because I was pretty damn sure I was the closest outlet.

            He took in a few deep breaths before sighing. “Dunno. I’m sure Jo knows but she’s not telling me. Has to confer with dear old _Ash_ first.”

            I sighed and shook my head. I didn’t want to get involved, as I kept telling myself. I wanted answers but I didn’t want to get involved in whatever conflict there was between Ashere and Kieron right now.

            “Just…breathe, dude,” I said.

            Now he shot me a glare. “What good will that do me?”

            “It will calm you down, for one.”

            “I don’t _need_ calmed down,” he snapped.

            I pointed at him. “And right there is proof that you _do_.”

            He clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes. For a moment, I was afraid he might actually attack me, but he just snorted and looked away, fingers clawing into his covers as he leaned back and placed his hands on the bed.

            “I’m sure they’ll tell you once they’re sure,” I offered.

            “Pfft,” he scoffed loudly, like the very idea was absurd.

            “I’m sure they’re just waiting so they can talk it over first.”

            “You obviously know nothing about fucking higher-ups.”

            “No,” I said, “I don’t. Why don’t you clue me in?”

            He gave me a sideways glare and shook his head. “You need to go now. I’ve got a headache and all this talking isn’t helping it any.”

            “But-”

            “No more questions,” he snapped, holding a hand up to silence me. “Just - no. I’m fucking tired and you’re irritating as hell.”

            But he hadn’t lashed out - not really, and I took that as a good sign. So I offered him a faint smile. “You still didn’t answer my first question.”

            He breathed out through his nose, obviously trying to control himself. “Which was?” he drawled.

            “Why were they screaming and you weren’t.”

            He snorted. “I thought you would have figured that out by now, human.”

            “Humor me.”

            He rolled his eyes. “I’m used to pain - they’re not. Pain hits us, I’m used to it anyway, I don’t scream. They, on the other hand, scream because, you know, it’s a foreign fucking feeling to them.” He glared at me. “Happy now? More importantly, will you fucking leave me alone?”

            I stared at him. He was… _used_ to pain? That didn’t sound good at all! I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but he quickly silenced me with a growl.

            “I don’t want your pity. It is what it is and, well, whatever. Now get off my bed and let me _sleep_ , human.”

            He kicked me off the bed and I had to throw my feet under me to keep me from colliding with the ground.


	26. To Run or Not to Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Run to safety or stay and fight... decisions, decisions.

Chapter Twenty-Six: To Run or Not to Run

 

 

 

Everyone was surprisingly chipper the next day, which completely shocked me. Yesterday they were all in pain - apparently the same amount of pain even though Jo and Rhett vocalized their agony while Kieron remained pretty quiet, which still rather disturbed me - and now they were all smiles. Well, okay, except Kieron. He was still his full of his silent anger as he sat at the kitchen table next to me, glaring down at a plate full of bacon and eggs.

            No one spoke of what had happened yesterday. If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought it was just a weird dream, but I could remember the conversation I’d had with Kieron yesterday. While he had been tired and angry, I’d heard the bitterness in his voice and I couldn’t really blame him. Not if what he said was true, and he didn’t really have a reason to lie to me.

            So breakfast passed mostly in a comfortable silence, save for Kieron’s tense posture. His parents seemed lively enough, casting the both of us small smiles and conversing with each other. I could see no signs of the pain they’d experienced yesterday. I wanted to ask about it, but I didn’t want to ruin the quiet and calm; at least not right away.

            If I closed my eyes and focused, I could almost let myself believe I wasn’t in Atlantis, wasn’t with Kieron and his weird family or being hunted by screamers. But the sound of breathing - not my own - kept forcing me back into reality.

            When Kieron abruptly stood, pushing his chair back with a rough scratching noise, I snapped my eyes open and focused on him.

            “Kieron?” I murmured, confused.

            He shot me a look and then glanced at his parents. “I’m going for a walk. I’ll be back by lunch.”

            “Hey - wait,” I called as he turned to walk out the back door. “I’ll come with you!” Quickly, I stood and chased after him. He gave me an odd look but didn’t bother arguing, and so I took that as a small victory for me. Finally he wasn’t snapping at me for something! Perhaps miracles did happen.

            We stepped out of the house and toward the edge of the small town - or whatever it was called to Etherians - toward the trees. What was with Kieron and trees? Seriously, the guy needed a new perspective or something.

            We walked in silence for a good ten minutes before I sighed and glanced at him. The leviathan trees surrounding us made me think back to all that had taken place before we’d arrived here. Bad things seemed to continue to happen in the trees and I’d prefer to steer clear of them, but apparently Kieron had other ideas.

            “Where are we going?” I mumbled softly. I was curious, but I didn’t want to actually shatter the calm between us. This was probably the most comfortable we’d been with each other since he’d been stabbed and had ‘shut down’ on me.

            He barely glanced at him. “Nowhere in particular.”

            “Oh.” A pause. “Do you guys know what made you…erm…feel that pain yesterday?” I had to ask. After biting my tongue all morning, I couldn’t hold it back any longer.

            “Human,” he groaned.

            I shrugged. “What? None of you are even talking about it,” I pointed out, successfully managing to untangle my foot from a root before it caused me to tumble to the ground.

            Success! Me - 1, Roots - 3...or more. Probably more.

            “We don’t have answers yet,” Kieron said, and then pause before sighing. “At least, I don’t.”

            “Do your parents?”

            “Hell if I know,” he muttered, rolling his eyes. “Like they ever tell me anything.”

            I frowned. It felt wrong that they didn’t tell Kieron everything. They were his parents, right? Shouldn’t they inform him of all that was happening? If they had an idea of what happened yesterday - that caused them all such pain - shouldn’t they share it with their son? It didn’t make any sense to me.

            “Do you have a way of finding out?” I inquired.

            He shrugged again. “Dunno. I could ask Ashere but…” He chewed on his lower lip and shook his head. “They’ll tell me eventually, I guess.”

            I nodded. “Are you ready to head back?”

            He slid his gaze toward me and stopped, turning to face me. His blue eyes scanned over me, up and down, before settling on my face, his head cocked to the side somewhat in a cute manner of confusion.

            _Cute…_? Ah, damn it. Not again.

            I felt heat rush to my cheeks at his staring. “W-What?” I stammered pathetically, staring back at him, searching his face for some sort of sign but I got nothing.

            “Why are you here?” he asked, still watching me.

            “What do you mean?”

            “I mean - why did you come with me? You don’t like the woods.”

            “Erm…because.”

            “Why?”

            I shrugged. “Dunno, just…It was…awkward being stuck with just them.” And wasn’t that the truth?

            “You did before.”

            “You didn’t give me much choice before,” I retorted.

            He shrugged and then started walking again, turning away from me and finally breaking his gaze away from mine. I breathed quietly and then followed after him.

            About fifteen minutes later, he stopped again, causing me to nearly run into him as I’d been looking at the ground, following in his footsteps so I didn’t trip over anything. Me + roots = ground. Although it was daylight now and I could actually see where I was going, it was better to be safe than sorry.

            I came about an inch away from crashing into his back. “What?” I asked at the abrupt stop. We’d been keeping a pretty steady pace.

            “Shh,” he said in response, body tense and rigid as he looked through the trees, turning his head left, then right, then back again.

            Searching for something.

            A shiver crawled through my spine. “What is it?” I whispered softly.

            “Something,” he murmured in return, his voice a mere brush of air.

            _Something?_ I thought, confused as I strained to listen. I didn’t hear much of anything. But then as I continued to concentrate, I could detect the faint sound of a twig snapping not too far away. And toward my right.

            Kieron spun, obviously alerted at the sound too, and released a feral growl when a screamer surged through the trees, launching himself at the blue-haired immortal. The two collided and became a mass of rolling bodies on the ground as I jumped back lest I be clawed to death.

            Kieron and the screamer became flashing blurs as they collided, broke apart, and spun back toward each other. Quickly, I looked around for something I could use to help because I was tired of feeling useless, but we hadn’t brought anything with us. All I had were trees, grass, and roots. That was about it and it wasn’t enough - not enough to help.

            A snarl of pain cut through the air and I snapped my head up from looking around to find bloody claw marks across Kieron’s face. Blue eyes flashed dark and dangerous as he shot forward and tackled the screamer, slashing downward in a vicious moment, slicing into the screamer’s abdomen. Their odd blood oozed free and spilled down its sides toward the ground, but in a second it was on its feet again, snarling at Kieron.

            Kieron wasn’t lying when he said those things were nearly invincible.

            “Kieron, what can I do?” I called to him, not wanting to distract him but I had to do something to help, I just didn’t know what or how I could.

            I felt so incredibly useless. No wonder Kieron hated me.

            “Run,” Kieron snarled as he was rammed into by the screamer. The momentum forced him back into a tree, where he left a very nice indent with his back. Groaning, he slid to the ground.

            “Kieron!” I charged toward him but the screamer cut me off, towering over me with hatred flaring in its eyes.

            “Human,” the screamer hissed, reaching toward me.

            I jumped back and glared. “Don’t touch me,” I snapped, surprised at my own bravado at the moment. At the moment I wished I had a knife or a blade of some sort, but as it was, I had nothing but my hands. Judging from what Kieron had said and the wounds already on the screamer, I was pretty sure my weak human fists would do pretty much nothing to it.

            The screamer raised a claw to strike but the attack never came as it was knocked away from me. The screamer hit the ground and Kieron stood next to me, panting as he held an arm against his side like some sort of support.

            He grabbed my arm and all but threw me toward a nearby tree. “Run,” he hissed, glaring at me.

            “I’m not-”

            “Damn it, human, _run_!” he snapped as the screamer got to its feet and faced us. “Get back to the house! Now!”

            “I’m not leaving you,” I said, even though my heart was racing in my chest when the screamer’s eyes locked onto me. I couldn’t just leave Kieron, though. I had to help somehow.

            “Do as I say,” Kieron hissed, shoving me again. “Now! _Do it_!”

            “No!” I snapped back. “I’m staying!”

            Kieron’s eyes flashed but he couldn’t say anything about it because the screamer slashed at him, ripping his attention away from me. The immortal sidestepped the attack with all the speed and agility of a cheetah on steroids and retaliated just as quickly. The screamer flew through the air, a wide gash in its throat. When it slammed into a tree and Kieron followed to slashed and kick at the it again, it went still and Kieron spun toward me, panting.

            “Is…?” I started.

            “Knocked out,” Kieron breathed, holding his arm to his side again. It wasn’t like he was grabbing at it with his hand, more like just holding his arm straight against it in a rigid manner, like a brace of some sort.

            “Are you okay?” I asked, watching the slashes on his cheek and jaw leak blood down the side of his neck to stain his shirt.

            He grunted and gave a brisk nod. “I’m fine.”

            “Your side…?” I stepped forward.

            “Ribs,” he replied as he edged toward me. “We need to leave. There will be others and that screamer won’t be out for long.”

            I didn’t bother arguing this time. I didn’t leave him before and now we were both leaving. He led the way since I had really no idea where I was going, and I staggered after him, eying the way he held himself.

            Broken ribs, maybe?

 

 

 

We made it back to the house without any interruptions, thankfully. As soon as we entered, Kieron slunk away to his bedroom while I was left standing in the living room awkwardly. I could hear his parents talking quietly in the kitchen and didn’t want to disturb them. Kieron hadn’t bothered going in to tell them what had happened, or that he’d been hurt.

            I wasn’t sure why this bothered me so much. He was their son - shouldn’t he tell them? But it wasn’t really any of my business, no matter how much I wanted to ask about it.

            I walked down toward the room I’d been staying in and shut the door quietly behind me. After kicking off my shoes - at least I wasn’t barefoot this time, even if these shoes were a little big on me - I sat on the bed and breathed out a heavy sigh.

            The screamers had found me again. Soon they’d approach the house, right? Like before. And we’d have to leave again. It seemed all I did was bring trouble. Kieron was right - I was a health hazard after all.

            I was startled when my door flew open to reveal Kieron, determination lining his brow and darkening his eyes. I frowned at him. “What do you want?”

            I was even more startled when he tossed something my way. Flinching, I managed to catch it. It was a black leather pouch looking thing, with a hilt sticking out of the top. My fingers wrapped around the hilt and pulled to reveal a sharp dagger with curvy yet deadly edges. My eyes went wide as I looked back toward Kieron. “Why did you give me this? Do I have to cut you again?” I hoped not. I didn’t like it the first time, why would I like it now?

            He rolled his eyes. “No, you don’t,” he said, and I relaxed a little.

            “Then…what’s this for?”

            He shrugged as much as he could with his left arm practically tied to his side and entered the room, shutting the door behind him with a quiet snap. “You want to help, right? That’s why you didn’t run when I said to?”

            I nodded quickly. “Yeah, but I’m useless.”

            He almost smirked. “Yeah, that sounds about right. But I figured, since I’m going to be stuck with you for the time being and you never do as I say, you might as well learn how to defend yourself.”

            My eyes went wide as I looked down at the long, curvy dagger and then back toward Kieron. “Are you serious?”

            “I don’t joke,” he said, but yes, that _was_ a smirk on his face!

            I grinned and jumped to my feet enthusiastically. “Awesome!”

            He rolled his eyes.

            “When do we start?”


	27. Training Begins... with Food

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training is harder than you thought, huh? And what, exactly, is zhin?

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Training Begins…with Food

 

 

 

Training. I’m not sure why, but whenever I thought of that word I imagined _Eye of the Tiger_ to start spurting out from some nonexistent speakers or something, but obviously that wasn’t what happened. Instead it found me outside on a hot day, clad in an oddly comfortable pair of cloth shorts and a large T-shirt…probably Kieron’s dad’s or something because it was basically a tent on my body and probably would be on Kieron’s, too.

            Speaking of Kieron, he stood before me with his head cocked to the side again, studying me. His eyes trailed up and down my body and back again to land on my face. “This isn’t going to be easy,” he warned. “Are you sure?”

            “I’m sure,” I said, because I didn’t want to be some stupid damsel in distress all the time. I was sure there wasn’t much I could do against screamers or anything, but I might as well try, right? I mean, this was _my_ life, after all. Why should everyone else fight for it but me?

            Kieron shrugged and gestured at the dagger I held at my side. “Drop it,” he instructed.

            I blinked at him. “Drop it?” I echoed like I didn’t comprehend the meaning of the words. He’d just given me this - for _protection_ \- so why did he want me to put it down?

            “There’s no point in learning how to use a blade if you don’t know how to control your own body in a fight,” he said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. I sighed and tossed the dagger aside, where it landed safely in the grass. Kieron nodded his approval and gestured for me to come toward him. “Come at me like you’re gonna hit me.”

            “What?”

            “You heard me.”

            “But I-”

            Annoyance crossed his face. “Do you want to learn this or not, human? If so, shut up and do as I say.”

            I glared at him but snapped my mouth shut and thought for a moment. I’d never been much of a fighter. Violence never really seemed like the answer, especially when I tried to be pretty friendly to everyone so I never really made any enemies. Even when people found out I was gay, they didn’t really hound on me too much for it because I was generally nice to everyone, whether I liked them or not.

            So, fighting - not my thing at all.

            But even so, I charged forward quickly and right before I collided with him, I threw my arm out to catch a punch in his face. He deftly deflected my attack before I even made it to him, though, swatting me aside like I was nothing. Literally. I hit the ground and rolled.

            Once I’d jumped to my feet, I heard him laughing quietly to himself. I had to admit, despite the embarrassment I felt at the moment, it was a nice sound…or, at least, it was a nice change from his usual grunts of annoyance and snappish words. In fact, when I glanced at him with my head bowed, I saw a faint smile flicker to life on his face…but then it died just as quickly as he shook his head at me.

            “I’m not a fighter,” I murmured in my own defense.

            “Obviously,” he scoffed. “You move too aggressively to know what you’re doing. There’s no instinct in your attack. Stop thinking about it so much.”

            “But-”

            “You’re new at this,” he said, a little quieter this time, which actually managed to make me shut my mouth rather quickly. “You’ll learn, but you’ll find the easiest way is to let instinct guide you. Let that fight or flight response kick in, human, because otherwise you’ll never learn.”

            “And you know this how?” I muttered. Was he actually pitying me? Gah! Freaking immortals.

            He shrugged nonchalantly. “I’ve been trained and I’ve trained others. Of course, it’s not like we have the most time in the world with the screamers hunting us, so it’s best to just rely on instinct for the time being.”

            “Us?” I murmured, smirking at him. “Are you putting yourself with me now, hmm?”

            He scowled cutely. Gah! There I go again! “In no world would I ever put myself with you,” he said seriously.

            “But you just did,” I pointed out with a wide grin. “I thought you were gonna dump me - now you’re putting yourself with me!”

            He rolled his eyes skyward momentarily before he looked at me again. “Human, I’m not putting myself with you. Not even anywhere _near_ you.”

            I leaned toward him from where I stood next to him now. “Oh really? You seem pretty close right now.”

            He scoffed under his breath and shoved me away. “And yet I’m here and you’re there,” he mocked.

            “Me thinks you doth protest too much,” I said in a sing-song voice, grinning while irritation practically flooded his face. It was actually kind of amusing to see the slight red tinge to his cheeks - not out of shame or embarrassment, but simply due to his rising annoyance.

            “And me thinks you’re a stupid human,” he countered as he rolled his eyes again.

            I shrugged. “Tomato, tom-ahto.”

            He shook his head. “Now, come at me again and this time, don’t think so much.”

 

 

 

By the end of the day, I was exhausted. So tired I couldn’t see straight, and my legs didn’t seem to want to work correctly. I flopped down on the porch of the house as the sun started sinking into the ground, casting an array of darkening colors across the sky and clouds. Half on the porch and half off, my legs dangling over the edge of the steps, I closed my eyes and focused on breathing.

            Everything hurt. Muscles I didn’t know existed made themselves known as they twitched and throbbed in pain every time I shifted. Simply breathing made muscles pull and ache.

            Movement and a soft thud assured that Kieron had sat somewhere nearby. Blinking my heavy eyelids open, I found him sitting next to me, kicking off his boots. They weren’t exactly boots but they weren’t just shoes, either. It was kind of odd yet seemed to suit him, I think.

            “That…was rough,” I murmured after prying my tongue off the roof of my dry mouth. God, I was so freaking thirsty…but to get something to drink I’d have to get up and walk to the kitchen…and my body just wouldn’t let me do it right now.

            Kieron smirked somewhat. “Yeah, first day’s tough. Second day’s worse.”

            “Gee,” I murmured, “thanks for the awesome pep-talk.”

            He shrugged. “And what did we learn today?”

            I groaned. “You’re gonna make me think? Seriously?”

            “Human.”

            “Fine. Something about fight or flight, I should always duck, defensive is better than offensive for me…and something about instincts. How’d I do, coach?”

            He shrugged. “It’ll do for now. Tomorrow we’ll go over some easy moves and see how fast you can move.”

            “How fast…? Oh, dude, I don’t think I’m gonna be moving anything for a while, and especially not fast,” I felt the need to tell him. He might be immortal and heal fast, but I was human and I’d just spent a day doing nothing but training, and it was going to hurt worse tomorrow. “Maybe we should have a day off first?” I asked hopefully.

            To my utter surprise, he actually nodded and gave a small, casual shrug. “Sure, whatever,” he said before he got to his feet. “I smell like sweat and failure - I’m gonna shower. Jo and Rhett aren’t back yet, but there’s food somewhere in there if you’re hungry.”

            Jo and Rhett had gone out earlier. Something about business at someone’s house in this town, or whatever it was. Kieron didn’t have much information about it as they hadn’t told him much, and I’d actually been there when they’d told him. The conversation had been curt, brief, and pretty damn emotionless for a family. I mean, they were talking to their son - shouldn’t they be showing a _little_ emotion or something? But whatever, none of my business.

            I scrambled to my feet and followed after him into the house. Oh, it felt nice. It was cooler inside than it was outside and I let the breeze wash over me like a wave. Kieron slunk off toward the bathroom and I entered the kitchen. First thing I did was grab some water and downed it in pretty much one giant gulp. Ahh, that hit the spot!

            I heard the sound of a shower turning on. Oh, how wonderful did that sound! I made a mental note to take a shower as soon as possible, but for right now, I was so damn tired all I did was wander toward my room and collapse on my bed without even bothering to shut the door.

            I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow.

 

 

 

I woke the next morning - early - to the feel of my skin itching and tingling. Blinking my eyes open, I rolled over to find myself in a bed, staring up at the ceiling. Upon glancing around, it was a familiar room - the one I’d been staying in the past few days we’d been here. Was my body asleep or something? I shifted a few times but it didn’t seem to help. It felt like there was a small fire under my skin or something, lighting it up. It didn’t hurt, but it was rather uncomfortable and I didn’t like it.

            Quickly, I sat up and fled the room to find Kieron and ask him about this.

            It didn’t take long.

            “I can’t fucking believe you!” the blue-haired immortal was shouting in the kitchen. Something smashed and broke and I stopped before entering the room, standing instead just outside. I didn’t want to interrupt and I especially didn’t want to be caught in the middle of it…whatever it was.

            “Now, Kieron,” Jo started calmly.

            “Don’t ‘Kieron’ me,” Kieron snapped angrily. “How the hell could you keep something like this from me? Damn it!”

            “We didn’t know for sure,” Rhett spoke up in a placating manner, but I didn’t have to see Kieron to know of the death glare he sent Rhett’s way.

            “But you knew it was _something_!” Kieron countered bitterly. “But did you bother to fucking tell me? Hell no!”

            “It’s not like that, Kieron,” Jo said exasperatedly. “There’s a chain of command, you know that.”

            “Yeah, I fucking know that - I’m lower, I fucking get it! But that doesn’t mean you can just withhold all the damn information whenever you damn well feel like it!”

            I swallowed. I didn’t really like where this was going.

            “We’re telling you now,” Jo told him calmly, but even to me, she sounded like a condescending mother, and I thought Kieron had a rather good point. He was their son - shouldn’t they tell him everything?

            “Gee, thanks for abso-fucking-lutely nothing!” Kieron hissed before the back door slammed open and snapped shut in his wake. Silence reigned in the kitchen before Jo released a quiet sigh.

            “You can come out now, Terry,” she said softly, and I poked my head around the corner to find both her and Rhett watching me.

            “Oh, erm…I…didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” I murmured, bowing my head as my cheeks flared red. I hated being caught.

            “It’s okay,” Rhett told me as he returned to eating his meal. What it was, I couldn’t tell, but it smelled good. My mouth salivated. “Kieron’s just making things complicated.”

            _I doubt that’s entirely it,_ I thought, but didn’t say anything.

            “Could you do us a favor?” Jo asked, watching me. I shifted my feet somewhat nervously and nodded. “Go after Kieron and make sure he doesn’t get himself into trouble.”

            I stared. “Me?” I echoed. “Go after Kieron?” Then I burst out laughing but then stopped when she didn’t smile. “Crap, you’re serious?”

            “He listens to you.”

            “He most certainly does _not_.” Did she not know Kieron at all? Probably the only person he really listened to was Ashere, and even then, the two were fighting at the moment.

            She shrugged. “You have a bond, he can’t ignore you. Please?”

            I groaned. “How am I gonna find him?”

            “The bond,” she said, like it was simple.

            Hell, maybe it was.

            Sighing, I exited out the door Kieron had previously stormed through and walked out of the backyard - I was actually a little surprised that it _did_ have a yard and not just more woods - and then toward the little dirt path leading back toward the main road. I wasn’t sure if Kieron would have gone this way, but I doubted he’d return to the woods with screamers roaming around, since he said they were presumably after him too.

            Still, he was rather unpredictable. He could have entered the woods.

            I wasn’t going to, though.

            Instead, I followed the dirt road and hoped it would lead me to him. Following the bond? Pfft! Was Jo high or something? I knew next to nothing about this mysterious ‘bond’ and she expected me to _use_ it to _find_ Kieron? Did she not know Kieron at all? Like he’d ever tell me enough about the bond to be able to _find_ him by it!

            I walked for a good ten minutes before my skin felt slightly scratchy, like annoying little prickles. Scowling, I continued forward until I heard a familiar voice call to me.

            “Are you following me now, human?”

            I spun to find Kieron standing behind me, an _almost_ amused look on his face. I shrugged. “Would you believe me if I said your mom made me do it?”

            He rolled his eyes and approached me. “Actually, I would.” Annoyance crept onto his features.

            “What’s going on?” I asked.

            He just shook his head and turned to start walking in the direction I’d already been heading. As I followed after him, I realized we were moving further into town. Surrounded by other houses, I saw kids playing in front yards, an angry old man shouting obscenities at someone, and a young couple kissing nearby. It reminded me that not _everyone_ here was immortal, nor was everyone as annoying as Kieron. Some things were pretty damn normal, and I was oddly calmed by this fact as I looked around with a sense of familiarity.

            “Why are you smiling?” Kieron interrupted my thoughts, and I looked at him, feeling the smile on my face for the first time.

            “Huh?” I asked smartly. Oh, intelligence I own!

            “Why are you smiling?” he reiterated somewhat patiently as we continued to walk. Everything here seemed so damn peaceful I could almost forget I wasn’t home, wasn’t surrounded by friends, knew next to no one here, and was being hunted for reasons I knew nothing about and didn’t even come close to understanding.

            I shrugged. “Just…it’s nice to see this place can be normal. And that not every moment has to be interrupted by screamers, or…or something,” I said with another smile quirking my lips.

            He shrugged. “Well, what’d ya think, it was always chaos here or something?”

            “From what I’ve seen? Pretty much, yeah.”

            “It’s not all bad. The good parts are good. The bad are…well, they suck.” He raised his arms and locked his fingers behind his head in probably the most casual movement I’d ever seen from him yet. He seemed perfectly at ease here, which was definitely a nice change from his, erm…well, more ‘feral’ nature which I’d been seeing a lot of.

            “Yeah…bad things tend to suck,” I murmured.

            We walked in silence for a few minutes and it was actually a _comfortable_ silence. Not a quiet brought on by anger, or by the need to be silent because of something out there hunting us. No, this was a silence actually brought on by both of us just walking and not _needed_ to say anything.

            It was…

            A welcome change, I had to admit. My steps felt lighter than they had in a while and I felt like I could breathe properly without feeling like I had to keep looking over my back.

            “So, still sore?” Kieron broke the quiet a few minutes later, tearing my gaze toward him.

            “Hmm? Oh, yeah. My feet hurt but they’re kinda numb now,” I said honestly. My muscles hurt but it wasn’t like I was doing anything strenuous right now - just walking, and at the pace we were going, it wasn’t very taxing. Just a comfortable pace in an almost comfortable atmosphere like I was just taking a walk with a friend. A companion. Someone I trusted and liked.

            Except I was walking with Kieron…and suddenly I felt somewhat awkward at how close we were walking, suddenly aware of his presence and proximity.

            It wasn’t like we were walking _really_ close, or even closer than we needed. It was just we were walking on the side of the dirt road, Kieron at the edge where the dirt gave way to grass, and me next to him - not in the middle of the road, but off to the side and out of the way. I hadn’t seen any ‘cars’, exactly, but I had seen horses tied off to the side. There were a lot of hoof prints in the dirt, too.

            Maybe not everywhere was as sophisticated as Kieron said. Like home, really. Some places were fancy and had all the electronics - like New York or Japan with their subway systems. Then again, others were quite simple, like the small, rural towns.

            It made Atlantis seem more human, to me.

            “We’ll train more tomorrow,” Kieron said, snapping me out of my thoughts. When I glanced at him, I found him watching me.

            “Oh…um…”

            “Not a lot of physical stuff,” he assured me at the obvious hesitance in my voice. “Basic dagger holding techniques and stuff like that.” He shrugged casually.

            I nodded and while he took that as a confirmation and looked away to take in the town around us, I found my gaze rather locked on him.

            I’d never quite seen him in quite this light. I’d seen him in the dark of night, his face lit only by the small fire we’d created. I’d seen him in the light of my apartment, and during the day in a house or while we were running for our lives - okay…for _my_ life. But this was the first time I’d seen him like this.

            The first time I’d seen him aglow in the sun, a light blue halo lining the top of his head - as if he were an angel instead of a demonic little…well…you get the idea - and the way it was rather shaggy and wild made the different shades of blue the light gave it stand out all the more, in my opinion. It framed his face quite nicely. While he was rather pale - probably due to spending a lot of his traveling time at night while he slept during the day - his eyes were bright enough to make up for that and yet dark enough to stand out. Yeah - it didn’t make sense to me either, but it wasn’t like I could actually use logic on anything in this world. Logic said immortals didn’t exist, but I was walking next to one right now.

            The ease at which he walked allowed me to see a more casual, at peace side of him than I was used to seeing. I was used to seeing him serious, or even feral, mostly annoyed by my very existence, but this…

            It was just different. In fact, there was even a faint smirk on his face as he watched what happened in this small town - the simple actions of a father playing with his two kids, a mother calling her daughter in to do her chores, three kids throwing a ball around…an odd ball, but it looked like baseball to me, except there were no gloves. As we walked past, I saw the calluses on their hands and how hard they threw the balls and caught them. Maybe it was like baseball - just, really, without the gloves. Interesting, I guess.

            Kieron was watching life. He wasn’t annoyed by it, doing something about it, or snarling at it. He was just walking by, enjoying it, living in the moment…

            And I found myself smiling again.

            Maybe he was more human than he realized, because for an immortal…he sure seemed to enjoy watching life and the moment, didn’t he? He was immortal - he had an unlimited amount of moments left, of life to watch and live…and yet here he was, content in the here and now.

            Maybe I was looking too much into this, but it was a different side I got to see and while it kind of surprised me, I wasn’t disappointed by it. In fact, it just made me…

            Dare I say it…

            Happy. It made me happy to see this side of him.

            And while I was pretty sure the peace would end soon enough - it never seemed to last long here, at least not that I’d seen so far - for the time being, I was going to enjoy it.

            “Hey - what’s that?” I asked, pointing at some food shop. In the window hung some kind of bread or something, with sugar and frosting and…was it a donut? No. I didn’t think so.

            A smile suddenly lit up Kieron’s face. “You have to try it,” he said as he snagged my arm and led me into the small store. A kind, elderly man greeted us as I was still reeling at the abrupt movement.

            “How can I help you?” he inquired in that gentle, grandfatherly voice which instantly had me smiling.

            “Two of those,” Kieron said, gesturing at what was in the window, clearly a display.

            “I’ll put it on your tab, Kieron,” the guy said with a smirk as he handed us two of them. What he gave us was actually smaller than what was in the display, but looked even more delicious, I had to admit.

            I’d yet to eat today. I was hungry and thirsty and…ohh, this looked good.

            Kieron watched me expectantly as I bit into the bread thingy. My eyes flew open wide as the taste attacked my mouth and slid down my throat.

            “Oh. My. God,” I breathed as I bit into it again. “Mm!” It was freaking delicious! Screw donuts, this was so much better! It had a cinnamon taste, yet more of a sugary taste. Then again it wasn’t either of those, but…something I couldn’t quite pinpoint, but damn! It was so good!

            Kieron was laughing when I exited the nearly orgasmic reaction to the food. He shoved his half eaten one toward me when I looked down at my empty hands, somehow finished with mine already. I snagged his with a brief smile and consumed it too.

            “That. Was. Delicious!” I told him enthusiastically as we left the small shop.

            He grinned genuinely. “Yeah, it’s a zhin.”

            “A what?”

            He shrugged. “I don’t know how to explain it. Maybe like a donut to you humans? But-”

            “Way better,” I finished for him as I licked my fingers clean.

            He chuckled. It was a nice sound. “You have a lot to learn about Etherian food, human.”

            Normally I was irritated - even pissed - when he called me ‘human’, but the way he said it just now, the tone of his voice…it was a _companionable_ tone, like he’d just called me ‘friend’ or some other friendly nickname.

            So instead of feeling annoyed, I just found myself grinning.


	28. Training, Soothing, and Other Impossible Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things aren't so perpetual. Others are.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Training, Soothing, and Other Impossible Things

 

 

 

“No, no, no,” Kieron said with a scowl plastered on his face, scrubbing a hand across the faint stubble gathered along his jaw line.

I sighed and dropped my arms to my sides. Every muscle ached and we just kept at it. I hadn’t even gotten to use an actual weapon yet! He just kept insisting on doing hand-to-hand stuff, which obviously wasn’t working out. As stated before, I’m not a fighter…and even if I was, Kieron was _immortal_ …and not _human_ …there was no way I could win against him anyway, right?

            So why did he keep subjecting me to this torture?

            I looked at him through half-lidded eyes, sweat dripping down my face in steady yet slow rivulets. “Why are we doing this?” I breathed, tilting my head back to look up at the sky. I could feel Kieron’s eyes on me even if I couldn’t see him glance my direction.

            “Because you need to learn to protect yourself,” Kieron told me, irritated as usual. Of course, it’d been three days now and I hadn’t done much of anything…except lose my weight in sweat, get pummeled by Kieron’s quick movements, and pretty much burn every calorie in my body…and then some.

            I ached, I was tired, and I just wanted this day to be over. As it was, though, it was just turning evening, the sun beginning to sink into the distance, and Kieron enjoyed the night and had been talking about teaching me night techniques and how to detect someone when I couldn’t necessarily see them. Of course…his efforts so far had been in vain because I wasn’t getting it.

            And it wasn’t just because I didn’t have nifty night vision goggles implanted in my eyes. Although that really didn’t help matters.

            “Of course,” the immortal continued, a touch of irritation in his voice, “if you want to back out, you’re free to do so.”

            “No,” I sighed, shaking my head, because I knew he was right. If I wanted to be able to protect myself, even just a little, from the screamers, I needed all the practice I could get. “Let’s keep going.”

            He nodded once and circled around me. “Your stance is awful.”

            “Stance?”

            “You’re way too tense.”

            “Well - we’re fighting, right?”

            He shook his head. “This is practice, but even so, you shouldn’t be tense. It makes you move slower. Your muscles tighten up and that can also add extra stress and aches.” He went around me again, glancing me up and down.

            I scowled and fought off a blush. I didn’t have time for this.

            Finally he stopped in front of me again. “Loosen your shoulders. Relax a little.”

            “Relax?” That was his advice? What if the screamers were trying to kill me?

            “Relax. It will take away the strain on your muscles and allow you to move quicker,” he said, like it was simple.

            Of course, he was an experienced fighter and used to pain - maybe it was simple to him.

            Me, on the other hand…

            Not a fighter. Never wanted to be.

            But right now, I _needed_ to be.

            “How do I relax?”

            He rolled his eyes. “Seriously, human?”

            I scowled at him. “How can I be ‘relaxed’ when people are trying to kill me!” I spat at him, because this was serious. It wasn’t a joke. It was life - _my_ life.

            And I rather liked my life, thanks very much.

            “Just ease up on your muscles, human. Battle is a dance - not torture.” He reached out and placed his hands on my shoulders. Startled, I frowned at him, at a loss for words. Next he shoved my shoulders down a bit harshly, causing me to glare. “There. Keep your shoulders loose.” He released me and stepped back, looking me up and down again. “Spread your feet out a little, human.”

            I did as he said.

            He shrugged. “It’s better, I guess. Okay - come at me again.”

 

 

 

_Darkness surrounded me. Silence drowned my thoughts. In a haze, I scratched and rubbed up and down my arms to sooth the intense prickling sensation. Alone. No one there with me._

_Just an overwhelming feeling of urgency._

            _I had to hurry. I had to move now._

_Or it would be too late, but I didn’t…I couldn’t…_

_I had to hurry._

_Blood on the ground._

_Red eyes peering back at me from the shadows._

_A still form on the ground._

 

A scream woke me from a dream I was happy to escape from, but the scream wasn’t my own. Startled, I rolled out of bed and staggered to the door, hearing shouts coming from the other side of the house. The voices I soon recognized as Jo and Rhett. They were screaming but I didn’t know why.

            It just sounded like they were in a lot of pain, and…

            _Oh._

            It was happening again? Really? Why?

            _Kieron._

            The thought penetrated my mind and I edged out of my room and into his without knocking. “Kieron?” I murmured into the darkness. I heard ragged breathing coming from the other side of the bed, and my feet moved on their own. Soon I rounded the bed and knelt next to the form huddled against the bed, knees pulled up to their chest.

            I chewed on my lower lip at the bowed head resting on the knees. He was practically in a ball, shivering.

            Was he cold? Could immortals get cold?

            Frowning, I yanked the cover from the bed and draped it around him in one fluid movement, despite the aching protest of my sore and abused muscles and joints. Kieron, if he noticed, didn’t show it, just stayed how he was.

            “Kieron?” I whispered. “Is it happening again?”

            He gave a jerky nod, so at least he could hear me and knew I was there. He was aware.

            I could still hear his parents screaming, their voices turning hoarse. It was harder to hear in Kieron’s room, though. Especially when Kieron’s door had this tendency to shut on its own. My door, if not latched, always swung open. His door did the opposite.

            Maybe that had something to do with the fact I couldn’t hear his parents as clearly as before, but I had been able to hear it in my room. It had woken me up, after all.

            My skin itched and I felt very uncomfortable, though I wasn’t sure why. Again, if it had something to do with the bond, Kieron was right in front of me and despite the pain he must have been in, he was fine. There was no physical damage…at least not that I knew of. It would pass and they would be fine, right? Like before?

            Except this seemed to be lasting longer.

            Kieron’s body tensed even more, if that were possible. His fingers curled into the fabric of his pants as they rested along his knees, near his head. Nails emerged and sliced through the fabric and skin, drawing blood, but he didn’t seem to notice.

            I, on the other hand, stared at the darkness coating his light colored pants. I was a little surprised my eyes were adjusted enough to the darkness that I could see it as well as I could.

            “Kieron? Are you…how bad is it?” I changed my question because he certainly wasn’t _okay_.

            He didn’t respond, not even in a head shake or nod or anything.

            I bit down hard on my lower lip, that tingling feeling sparking up my arms and down my legs. I rubbed up and down my arms to sooth the itch but it didn’t seem to help. It felt like I had to do something, but all I could do right now was stare at the immortal before me.

            Without thinking, I slid forward somewhat and situated myself next to him. When he didn’t move, I swallowed and slid my arm around his shoulders and neck. He stiffened even more but didn’t pull away. In fact, the shivering stopped a little. Not sure what else to do, I did what my instincts were screaming at me to do.

            I pulled him toward me in a sort of one-armed side hug until our sides touched. He toppled over a little and into me, but did nothing to stop it or shove me away. He didn’t say a word about it.

            “It’ll be okay,” I murmured, unsure as to what else to do. All I could do was let him know he wasn’t alone, right?

            And somehow this relieved that annoying itch in my arms and legs. I felt like I could relax a little, despite the screams still sounding through the house.

            About a minute or so later - it felt like a lot longer - the screams tapered off and silence rang loud in the air. I swallowed and felt Kieron all but fall into me. Unprepared, I swayed a little but brought my other arm around him to situate him better against me. From where his head now rested on my shoulder, I could see the glean of sweat dotting his brow and the rings under his closed eyes.

            When he didn’t try to move immediately, I frowned. “Kieron?” I asked quietly.

            He took in a quiet breath. “What?”

            He sounded exhausted.

            “What was that?”

            “Don’t…know…”

            “Are you okay?”

            “Mm…”

            “Kieron?” The lack of animosity in his voice was starting to worry me. He just sounded exhausted and, dare I say it, _content_ but that was ridiculous. “Kieron, hey - don’t sleep on me, you might drool.”

            It took a few seconds too long, but his eyes finally opened to focus on me. He blinked at our proximity and I frowned, suddenly wondering if he even knew he was using me as a pillow until now.

            I expected him to get angry and growl at me for being so close. I expected him to order me out of the room. I expected him to shove me away, probably violently.

            He did none of those things.

            All he did was close his eyes again and stay where he was.

            Stunned, I said nothing and stayed still.

            Then the immortal murmured, “My drool is a blessing, human.”

            I barked out a laugh and cracked a small smile. For a few minutes, we sat like that and I had to admit, despite the fact I was now a pillow worthy of drool, it was actually kind of nice. Too tired to argue with me, Kieron seemed content to just stay where he was. Despite the sweat on his brow, he looked peaceful, almost like he was asleep but I knew better. His breaths were still a little too ragged for that. I shifted my right arm - the one attached to the shoulder he rested against - to get more comfortable and had half a second of debate about my next move, but it would be more comfortable and we were already close and he hadn’t pushed me away yet - why not do more to get more comfortable so my arm didn’t fall asleep?

            I put my arm back around his neck and shoulders - I’d dropped it when he’d all but collapsed against me - and drew him more toward me. He tensed a little but didn’t try to stop me. Once I got him settled, I shifted myself a little so I was sitting up against the wall with him up against my right side, my arm around his shoulders and neck like a brace against the wall. The cover lay on the floor at his side.

            I waited for him to say something or shove me away, but he never did. He just stayed put, more at ease than I remembered seeing him, and I stayed put as well. The next time I glanced down at him, his breaths were even in a sleep he clearly needed.

            Sighing, I knew I couldn’t move or I’d wake him.

            So I shifted a tiny bit - not enough to really jostle him - and got as comfortable as I could against the wall even though my butt was numb and my back was aching a little.

            Then I allowed my head to loll to the side as I yawned and closed my eyes.

 

 

 

I woke feeling surprisingly refreshed and warm, despite the aches through my body. There was a warmth nestled next to me no cover or pillow could imitate, and I found myself shifting toward that source of warmth.

            Then I wondered why my bed was so hard and why I wasn’t laying down.

            Snapping my eyes open, I found myself staring down at Kieron’s head of blue hair. My chin rested atop his head and both my arms were around him. I was all but curled up around him like an octopus. How’d _that_ happen?

            _Oh God, he’s gonna kill me,_ I thought to myself, but then remembered last night.

            If he was going to kill me for this, I’d have to threaten him with the knowledge he had been the one to not move - not me. He hadn’t tried to get away and had fallen sleep on me despite the fact I said I didn’t want to be drooled on. Not that I knew if he drooled or not, because I didn’t. I don’t know, nor do I care.

            He can drool or not drool all he wants on his own damn pillow.

            I scowled down at him as I tried to control the slightly fast thudding of my heart. Damn him. Damn him and his ‘mmm’…

            ‘Mmm’? Oh, not this again.

            Okay…so he was attractive…kind of.

            Oh, who was I kidding? He was hot.

            I mean, what person wouldn’t go for a guy with his body, those blue eyes, and the freaking blue hair? Okay, so he was immortal and could kill people easily…he was still hot!

            And oh, I was _so_ not thinking about this when I was practically cuddling the guy!

            Kieron shifted against me somewhat and I stilled, holding my breath. I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to wake up or not. Daylight filtered through his window and brightened the room, so I knew he’d wake soon. As of right now, though, I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to wake up so I could move, or if I wanted to risk him just staying asleep.

            Either way, I’d have to deal with this at some point.

            Might as well get it over with.

            Carefully, I started to pull away from the immortal. It was a lot harder than it looked as I’d somehow managed to partially tangle myself with our legs. Awkward.

            The tricky part was the arm. He was basically using it and my shoulder as a pillow, and I realized then that I couldn’t really feel my arm. Great. Numbness.

            I sighed and slowly started to remove my arm from under his head.

            I was almost done when he blinked his eyes open and blinked blurrily at me. “Human?” he murmured.

            “Uh…hi!” I said nervously. “Um…Uh…” I yanked my arm free and he slid down the wall a bit, eyes opening more as he startled. “Oh, um…sorry.”

            He sat up and groaned, rubbing at the back of his neck. “What are…you doing in here?”

            I gaped. “You don’t remember?”

            “Remember what?” he asked, frowning.

            I sighed. “Your parents woke me with their screaming so I checked on you and you, um…Well, never mind. That’s it pretty much.”

            _Except you were his pillow and you think he’s hot,_ my mind supplied.

            _Shut up, mind, no one asked you,_ I thought back.

            Kieron cocked his head to the side cutely, watching me. I shifted under his gaze.

            “What?” I murmured, averting my gaze.

            Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him shrug. “Nothing.” He sighed and got to his feet. I glanced at him to see him rolling his shoulders and wincing somewhat. Then his eyes landed on me again. “You make a horrible pillow, human.”

            I scowled but actually felt a little relieved he didn’t sound pissed about that. “Well, _sorry_ , but I wasn’t planning on being a pillow for Mr. Drool.”

            He blinked at me. “I don’t drool that much.”

            “Oh really?” I asked, smirking at the indignant tone in his voice.

            He narrowed his eyes at me. “Yeah, really.”

            “So you admit you do drool.”

            “I never said that.”

            “Actually, you pretty much did,” I told him, grinning when he shot me a dirty look.

            “Okay, fine - I _might_ drool. A _little_. _Sometimes_. Happy now?” he asked, rolling his eyes at me, but I was pretty sure I saw him fighting off that smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

            “Ecstatic,” I told him.

            He rolled his eyes again and then sighed, sobering. I frowned at the change. “Stay here. I need to talk to Jo and Rhett.”

            Why didn’t he call them Mom and Dad? Did they do that here or were they just not on great terms?

            Of course, I didn’t really want to get involved.

            I nodded and Kieron disappeared from the room. He wasn’t gone long before he returned with a scowl on his face. “What?” I asked.

            “They’re not here. Went for a walk, I think.”

            “Oh.” A pause. “You’re going after them.”

            Not a question. I already knew the answer.

            He nodded. “Yeah. I won’t be long, okay? Stay here.”

            “Why do I have to stay here?”

            “Because, in case you haven’t noticed, it’s not very safe out there,” he said, giving me a look. “You’re safe here for now. I don’t think they’d dare attack this house, but you never know, I guess. I won’t be gone long, okay?”

            I scowled at him. “I’m not a kid, you know.”

            “I’m aware,” Kieron said, rolling his eyes again. He turned and tore his shirt off.

            Where was his sense of _warning_ a guy before he just stripped in front of them? I quickly looked away and tried to interest myself in the floor.

            My gaze wandered a little though.

            “So do your parents know what happened?” I asked to change the subject and distract myself.

            “I’m pretty sure they know,” he said with a bitter snort as he pulled a clean shirt over his head. “They even told me they think they know what it was. I’m going to make them tell me one way or another.”

            I frowned. “How are you going to do that?”

            He shrugged. “I’ll think of something. Stay put and I’ll be back in about an hour.” With that, he turned on his heel and left the room.

            I sighed and shook my head in his wake.

 

 

 

In a little less than an hour, I heard footsteps in the hallway. I poked my head out of my room in time to see Kieron limping toward his bedroom, head bowed. Blood covered the side of his face and stained the back of his shirt in a horrible pattern.

            “Kieron!” I hissed, throwing my door open all the way. He stiffened and glanced at me. “What happened?”

            “Screamers,” he said with a small shrug. “They’re getting closer. We need to leave soon.”

            “What happened? Are you okay?” I inched toward him.

            “I’m fine,” he said, frowning at me.

            I took in a slow breath. He didn’t look very _fine_ but whatever. He was the immortal here, not me. “Did you find your parents?”

            His expression darkened. “I did.”

            “Oh….and what did they say? Do they know what’s happening? Why you’re all feeling this pain?”

            His eyes narrowed. “They know.”

            “Did they tell you?”

            “They did.”

            “Oh, that’s great, right?”

            “Sure.”

            His short, clipped answers were really staring to bother me. “So…what’s happening?” I asked when he didn’t say anything more.

            He hesitated. “Something impossible happened.” Then, as an afterthought: “Twice.”

            “Impossible?” What was that supposed to mean? “Kieron, what’s going on?”

            “They died.”

            “What? Who died?” What did that have to do with that pain? Or anything?

            “I don’t know them.”

            “Then…?”

            “Human, don’t you get what I’m saying?” He seemed irritated that I wasn’t figuring it out.

            “How can I? All you said was someone died and it’s impossible!” I retorted a little angrily. I was just asking questions - they weren’t even hard questions! I just wanted to know what was going on, that was all. Was that so hard?

            He snorted and turned his back on me, walking two steps toward his door. His hand grabbed the knob and turned it, pushing the door open. Before he stepped into his room, he stopped and grew tense, his shoulders stiffening.

            “Two perpetuals are dead. It’s impossible but they’re dead. Somehow…” He took in a breath and released it slowly. “Somehow we all felt it.” He shook his head. “That’s all I know.”

            Then he stepped into his room and the door snapped shut behind him, leaving me staring after him in shock.

            Two perpetuals…had _died_?

            _Immortals_ had _died_?


	29. Much Ado about Kissing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kissing isn't special. But apparently it is.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Much Ado about Kissing

 

 

 

Kieron stayed in his room for a long time, and his parents didn’t return. Evening approached and I grew tired of being left in the dark, so to speak, so I knocked on Kieron’s door. “Kie? You in there?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure why - where else would he be? I certainly hadn’t heard him leave.

            Then again, he was a sneaky immortal.

            The door opened somewhat and Kieron scowled at me. “Don’t call me that,” he said. “What do you want?”

            The fact he hadn’t immediately snapped my head off was a good sign, I thought. “Are you okay?” I asked, because suddenly I had nothing to say. After a day of looking at nothing but empty rooms, I found myself now just staring at him, at his cool blue eyes.

            He sighed. “I’m fine, human.” A pause. “You’re hungry. Is that it?”

            “Um…yes,” I said with a quick nod. “That’s it.” Actually, now that I thought about it, I was _starving_. I hadn’t eaten all day.

            Kieron nodded and disappeared inside his room again. The door didn’t quite shut but stayed where it was, mostly shut but still open a bit. I sighed and wondered what he was doing. A moment later he reappeared, tugging on a shirt, his hair disheveled. “Alright,” he said as he exited his room and shut his door behind him, “let’s go.”

            “Go?” I asked.

            He shrugged. “I don’t want to cook, human.”

            I scoffed and then nodded. He didn’t seem like the cooking type anyway. Although the image I got of him wearing an apron and standing over a hot stove…I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped.

            He glared at me cutely.

            Cutely? Damn it, not again.

            But he was so…

            _Nope. Not going there,_ I told myself.

            “What’s so funny?” he asked.

            “Nothing,” I chirped innocently. “Food, Kieron!”

            He rolled his eyes but I took notice of the faint smirk on his face. Maybe he was finally coming around to me after all. The thought made me smile even though I wasn’t entirely sure as to _why_.

            We left the house and started down the dirt trail into town, much as we had before. Despite the questions I wanted to ask, I kept quiet for the time being because I didn’t want to ruin the moment. Kieron was actually tolerating me right now. He wasn’t shoving me away, or saying rude comments, or glaring at me. We walked next to each other as though we had for years, like we were actually friends not two people forced together.

            It felt comfortable and right and I didn’t want it to end.

            But of course it did end, because Kieron suddenly stopped and brought a hand to his chest, choking on his breaths. I stared at him and then dropped next to him as he hit his knees, seemingly unable to draw in air, his hand clawing at his chest, pupils blown with pain and fear.

            _Fear?_

            “Kieron!” I hissed, grabbing hold of his shoulders, forcing him to face me. “Look at me - hey! Kieron, look at me!”

            It took longer than I would have liked, but his eyes finally locked onto mine.

            “What’s happening?” I asked. “Another….a-another perpetual?”

            Could it really be happening _again_? Did that mean another perpetual…died? How was that even possible? Immortals weren’t mortal therefore they couldn’t _die_!

            The choked whimper that escaped him was enough of an answer for me, and-

            “K-Kieron?” I whispered, because before, he never made a noise when he was in pain, even though his parents screamed. If he was making a noise now - a _whimper_ \- did that mean the pain _increased_? How much? Why? How much was in he in?

            His expression contorted and he leaned forward, palms holding him up as his fingers curved into the dirt, breaths trembling as they escaped his clenched mouth.

            I looked around but there was no one there to help me. We weren’t really even into town yet - just a few yards away from the house. The house would be better, I figured. At least then he was inside, away from prying eyes - if anyone came by - and he might feel better once inside.

            “Kieron, c’mon,” I urged, grabbing onto his arm. I hauled him to his feet but was not prepared when he staggered. I caught him with an arm around his waist, leaning him against me. He made no comment on it, but probably didn’t realize our proximity to begin with. “Let’s get to the house, okay? Kie?”

            I think he nodded. Wasn’t really sure though.

            Even so, I led him back toward the house, keeping a tight hold of him, my arm wrapped around his waist and my other hand firm on his shoulder. “Easy,” I coaxed, “that’s it, almost there.”

            We staggered up the steps of the porch and through the door, into the quiet interior of the living room. While I attempted to kick the door shut behind me, I somehow lost control of our movements and we both toppled to the ground as the door flew shut. I landed on top of Kieron and winced when he hissed in pain, whimpering again.

            _Stop whimpering._

            I found I did not like the sound - at all. He might have been an ass at times…but he’d been coming around lately, and I didn’t like seeing him - or hearing him - in pain. “Kie?” I whispered, moving to lean over him instead of lay over him. I peered down at his suddenly pale face - well, paler than usual, anyway. Sweaty blue bangs aligned his forehead and he rolled somewhat, away from me so he was now on his side.

            From there, I watched, stunned, as he curled into a ball, fingers clawing at his head.

            “Kie,” I sighed, frowning, because I didn’t know what to do. “What can I do? Can you…even hear me?”

            I wasn’t sure he could. He gave no sign of acknowledgement.

            Without thinking, I leaned over him a bit more and slowly brushed the damp bangs from his face. To my surprise, he leaned _into_ the contact, eyes tightly closed so I was pretty sure he didn’t know what he was doing, but still.

            His nails grew somewhat, stabbing into his head, leaving little pinpricks of blood in their wake. I couldn’t have him hurting himself.

            Quickly, I snatched both his hands and held them in mine. He tried a few times to break free but I tightened my hold. “I’ll sit on them if I have to, Kieron - you’re not stabbing yourself in the head.”

            If he heard me, I didn’t know, but a few minutes later he seemed to quiet down. His breaths became heavy and deep, but less shaky and labored. Slowly the muscles in his face relaxed and after a few minutes, he blinked dark eyes open and looked around as though confused.

            “T-erry?” he asked, drawing my name out, and I couldn’t help but smile because I wasn’t ‘human’ this time.

            “It’s me,” I said quietly, squeezing his hands. His gaze swiveled toward me and he sighed, closing his eyes again. “What was that, Kie? Was it worse?”

            “Yeah…”

            “Why?”

            “Dunno.” A breath. “Fucking _hurt_ …though…”

            “I know,” I murmured. Without thinking, I released one of his hands and brushed his bangs back again because when he’d moved his head, looking around, the bangs had moved back into his face, damp with sweat. Now his eyes opened and he watched my hand as I quickly pulled it back to myself, swallowing. His gaze latched onto mine. “Um…I…uh, sorry.”

            “ ‘s fine,” he murmured.

            “R-Really?” I asked, because I was sure he’d be all ‘never touch my awesome hair again, human!’ on me, but he suddenly seemed okay with it. I couldn’t deny the tiny thrill that crept through my, even though I tried to ignore it.

            “Mm…” he breathed.

            He sounded exhausted.

            “Let’s get you to bed,” I said quietly. “Can you get up?”

            His expression darkened at the thought and I sighed, getting to my feet. I grabbed him by the arms and lifted, surprised at how light he seemed. I could remember when he seemed heavy. Then again, he was actually working with me right now, feet moving beneath him as he pushed himself up.

            That didn’t stop me from leaning him against me, though. And my arm once again found itself around his waist, except now that he was aware, it felt far too intimate. I couldn’t stop the heat from rushing through my face, though I glanced at the floor - and our feet - to hide it. The last thing I needed was him noticing.

            We entered his room and he sat down on his bed. I wound up sitting next to him, simply to help him get situated - yep, that was the only reason my hand was still on his side, right over the curve of his hip. The _only_ reason.

            _Why do you kid yourself?_

            “Terry.”

            At the sound of my name, I glanced toward his face and our eyes met. For a long moment, nothing was spoken. We were wrapped in a comfortable silence, and my hand stayed right where it was. I gazed into his eyes and-

            A slow smirk crossed Kieron’s face.

            “What?” I whispered, unsure as to when my voice got so…rough.

            “You look like you’re about to kiss me,” he commented quietly, watching me, and it was in that moment I realized I was leaning in. A few more inches and our mouths would be connected.

            The funny thing was - he wasn’t leaning back. He wasn’t leaning away from me. He just stayed where he was.

            “And…if I am?” I asked quietly, watching his face for his reaction.

            _He’s gonna smack you,_ my mind told me. _You’re gonna be unconscious for a week! Or, you know, dead._

            But he only gave into a breathy laugh. The sound felt good to my ears, especially after the previous whimpers. I leaned forward a little more.

            Centimeters now separated our mouths. I could feel his breath on my face, could see it as his tongue moved in his mouth, the flicker in his eyes, the-

            “Are you going to kiss me,” Kieron asked, “or stare at me all day, human?”

            This tore me out of my thoughts and my mouth was suddenly dry. “You’re…giving me permission?” I asked, just to be sure.

            “I’m changing my mind in three, two, o-”

            Before he could finish that last number, I pressed my mouth to his, swallowing his words as our lips connected.

            His lips were strangely _soft_. Due to the harsh words he often spoke, I guess I expected them to be rough, hard, or something else. They were firm, but pliable and soft, and I found I had very hard time pulling away.

            Immediately, I missed the warmth of his mouth. Before he could say anything or move away, I recaptured his lips…

            …only to be shoved away.

            “Why?” I asked, frowning as I caught myself on the bed so I didn’t go flying off the edge.

            “You had one.”

            “And if I want more?”

            His eyes sparked. “Then you are going to have to _earn_ it.” The challenge in his voice and in his gaze left me somewhat breathless.

            “How?” I asked, because suddenly it was all I could think about.

            He watched me for a long moment before he got to his feet. “You figure it out,” he said before he promptly turned and left the room, leaving me staring after him.

            _Earn_ it. Earn the kiss.

            How the hell was I supposed to do _that_? What did he want me to do? What _could_ I do?

            Sighing, I got to my feet and left the room as well.

            I found Kieron in the kitchen, drinking from a glass. His back was to me but he still seemed a little shaky on his feet, his hand trembling a bit when he held the glass up to his lips. This last one was bad, apparently. I didn’t know why, or how, but it was worse than the others.

            But I didn’t want to think about that right now. I didn’t want to remember his pained expression, or that whimper. I wanted to focus on something better instead.

            “So how do I earn it?” I asked, watching him from the doorway. He turned to face me, putting the glass down on the counter.

            “You tell me,” he said.

            “What does that mean?”

            He shrugged. “If you don’t know how to prove you deserve it,” he said, “then I can’t help you.”

            “What do you _mean_? Deserve…?” He was making no sense.

            He eyed me slowly, and then shrugged again, turning to grab the glass and bring it to his lips again. “If it’s easy, then there’s really no point, is there?”

            “Easy…?”

            “If you don’t work at something, you will never like it.”

            “I like it.” The words slipped out like air from a balloon but once they were out of my mouth, they were there and I couldn’t take them back no matter how much I wanted to.

            Another brief pause. He still didn’t turn to look at me. “What do you want?”

            “A…kiss.”

            Except…was that what I wanted?

            _Yeah. A kiss._

            “You had one.”

            “I want another.”

            “Why?” he asked so innocently, but I knew, somehow, it wasn’t innocent.

            “Because…” I frowned because suddenly didn’t know. I just wanted another kiss. I liked the feel of his lips and I liked kissing him. Then I shrugged. “Well, hey, _I_ kissed you.”

            “Mm.”

            “I think if anyone should be kissing anyone… _you_ should be kissing _me,_ ” I told him, grinning as the idea popped into my head.

            “Oh?” It was clear I had his attention now.

            “Well, yeah,” I said with a smirk, “I mean, you’re the _top_ , right? Or are you the _bottom_?”

            He spun to face me, a scowl on his face. “I do _not_ bottom,” he said, but I already had what I wanted.

            “Ah hah! So you _are_ gay!”

            He rolled his eyes. “No, human - I’m not.”

            “But you just said-”

            “Different worlds,” he reminded me. “And if anything, I’m bi. Get it right if you’re going to label me.”

            I smirked. “So you do bottom.”

            “I do _not_.”

            “Then why did _I_ kiss _you_?” I took a step forward.

            “Because I _let_ you,” he said.

            “Oh? Did you?”

            “Yes.”

            “Mm, I’m not convinced,” I said with a sigh. “Why don’t you kiss me, then, if you’re the _top_?”

            He narrowed his eyes at me for a total of five seconds and then came forward. I startled because his movements were fast, quick, and I tried to step back but his hand shot out and grabbed the front of my shirt, tugging me toward him and holding me in place.

            And then his lips landed on mine in a rough, dominating kiss. Somehow, it was far better than the one we previously shared, and he had complete control over it. I tried to open my mouth for him, but he didn’t enter it with his tongue. I tried to run my tongue along his lips but he simply growled and bit at it - not hard - until I pulled it back in my mouth.

            I curled a hand in his blue hair, still slightly damp with sweat, and tugged his head closer, deepening the kiss. He didn’t stop me. Instead, his own hand found its way into my hair and fisted at my black locks. When he finally ran his tongue across my lips, I moaned and granted him entry.

            A second later, his tongue collided with mine in a dance for dominance. We breathed heavily through our noses and as he started to pull back, swallowing his tongue back into his own mouth, I forced his head toward me more and chewed lightly on his lower lip. My free hand traveled toward him on its own, and soon my palm rested on the flat of his stomach, beneath his shirt. I felt it as his muscles shivered at the touch, the rise and fall of his breath.

            As I started moving my hand, he pulled back and tore our mouths apart. My grip slid from his hair and he dropped his own hands to his sides.

            “There,” he said calmly, watching me, “I kissed you.”


	30. Into the Ribs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because nothing gold can stay, right?

Chapter Thirty: Into the Ribs

 

 

 

We didn’t speak for a day.

            He stayed in his room most of the time, save for the few times he came out to speak to his parents. For the most part, I also stayed in my room. Every time I looked at him I thought about that kiss, and I was so confused. How could I like someone so…so…so like Kieron? He wasn’t my type. He wasn’t kind, or nice, or anything I even looked for in a top.

            Although, I was really beginning to question my methods after Rufus. But that was besides the point, because suddenly I couldn’t get the blue-haired immortal out of my head. He’d been on my mind a lot lately, but that made sense because he was training me, I was basically living with him, and, well, he was my protection, so to speak.

            But this felt different. I kept picturing the kiss. And the breathy laugh, and the feel of his muscles beneath my hand when I slipped it under his shirt…

            _Get a hold of yourself,_ my mind snapped at me. _He’s still an asshole._

            My door suddenly slammed open, startling me so much I jumped to my feet, eyes wide. Kieron stepped through, eyes wild as his gaze locked on mine. “What?” I asked, watching him.

            “We gotta go,” he said breathlessly.

            “What? But-”

            “ _Now_ ,” he hissed, leaving no room for argument, and I simply nodded and darted toward him. I could hear faint growls and a familiar shiver crawled up my spine, leaving me nearly breathless.

            “Screamers?” I whispered.

            Kieron gave a stiff nod and all but threw me in the direction of the kitchen. “Back door,” he said sharply, and I quickly raced through it. Kieron quickly followed after me, a bag slung over his shoulder, blade in hand. As I glanced at him, he tossed mine toward me and I barely managed to catch it.

            “But I don’t know-”

            He glared at me and I snapped my mouth shut. Right. He knew I wasn’t good with a blade yet - and I probably never would be. That didn’t matter right now, though, because I could hear the growls somewhere behind us, searching, hunting…

            _Don’t think about it,_ my mind snapped. _Just run._

            But it felt like all I did was run. We ran from one place to the next and it was never safe - at least not for long. Kieron said we were safe here. He said he doubted they would attack the house - why? I didn’t know, but apparently his parents had a lot of influence or something, so maybe that was why. All I knew was it was suddenly a lie, because it wasn’t safe anymore, and I was running for my life yet again.

            My skin itched and burned, but I wasn’t sure why until-

            “Kieron!” I spun when I realized I was alone. The immortal was no longer behind me. I rubbed my hands along my arms, trying to fight off that itchy feeling, but it just kept growing. “Kieron, where are you?”

            Growls sounded to my right. Quickly, I spun in that direction and startled when a screamer came flying at me, eyes ablaze with rage and hatred, and…and _hunger_. “Now you’re mine,” it hissed in a raspy, snarling voice, and I staggered back as it leaped toward me.

            Claws dug into my shoulders as I was tackled to the ground, my back firm in the dirt. My vision blurred momentarily but when I focused, I found harsh eyes watching my every move. A tongue flecked out along the screamer’s lips and then disappeared back into its horrible mouth.

            “Let go,” I said, but I sounded pathetic even to my own ears.

            “Why would I do that?” it asked, and I felt the rough feel of a tongue on my neck, licking all the way up to the curve of my jaw, and then across my cheek. I shivered. Kieron had licked me before, but it was nothing like this. This felt harsh somehow, forced and the tongue texture was very rough, like little needles on my already burning, itching skin. “I see you’ve bonded.”

            “Bonded?” I asked, my mind swirling around the word. I struggled to knock the screamer off me but savage knees dug into my ribs and I choked out a ragged breath, feeling dizzy.

            “Let’s see if we can’t call him out. It is a him, right?”

            “W-What?”

            In the blink of an eye, the weight was off me and I was on my feet, being shoved backward into a tree. The air knocked out of me, all I could do was splutter as razor sharp claws flashed in front of my eyes. Before I knew what was happening, my arms were yanked behind the tree - it wasn’t _too_ thick but it sure as hell _hurt_ \- and rough rope slipped across my wrists. The rope was cinched tightly and I struggled to stand right, but due to the thickness of the tree, I had to kind of lean back as much as I could, but even so, there was still a lot of painful pressure on my arms.

            Why were they doing this? If they were hunting me like this, why not just kill me? It seemed so much easier! Why not just kill me, instead of tying me up like this? What did they want? Something about the bond.

            My eyes widened.

            Kieron.

            They wanted Kieron.

            My skin itched and burned but it seemed less frantic now - he must have been okay, then, right? Could I really feel it when he was in trouble? That didn’t make much sense. Then again, nothing in Ethereal did. I knew nothing about bonds, or screamers, or perpetuals, or freaking _Atlantis_.

            Claws raked down the side of my face and I couldn’t suppress the cry that blew out of my mouth as I yanked my head to the side, away from the sharpness but it was too late. Blood slid down the left side of my face, pooling in the corner of my eye, and the crease in my mouth. I clenched my eyes tightly closed, biting down hard on my lip to keep from making any further noise.

            _Holy fuck, this hurts!_

            A fist rammed into my stomach, knocking the air from my lungs. My legs shook and I leaned heavily into the tree, but it was hard due to the angle of my bound wrists and arms. Once I could finally draw air into my lungs again, I choked out a quick, “Why are you doing this?”

            A snort was my response. A second screamer came from behind the tree - well, that explained how my hands got tied so damn fast. They both grinned at me, but there was nothing cheerful in their eyes on in their expressions. If anything, they looked hungry - hungry? - and vengeful.

            Why vengeful? It wasn’t like Terry ever did anything to them! He wanted absolutely nothing to do with them!

            “He belongs to the blue-haired man,” one of the screamers said - hissed - to the other.

            I silently fumed. I belonged to _no one_.

            “What’s his name?”

            I glanced at the screamers.

            “Kieron,” one of the screamers said with a nod. “We’ve been hunting him.”

            And then suddenly, their eyes were on me again. A wicked gleam shined in their gaze as they approached me. They stood right in front of me, practically breathing down into my face - why were they so tall? - and all I could do was stand there and take it.

            I didn’t even know what happened to my blade. I must have dropped it when I-

            “Terry!”

            I snapped my head up toward the sound and saw Kieron emerge from the brush. Blood dripped down the side of his face from a cut on his forehead, but otherwise he looked relatively okay. I smiled as I saw him.

            “Kie,” I breathed, because it would be okay now.

            For a split second, it was fine. He caught my gaze, and - “No - no, don’t!”

            “Ngh!” I managed as the blade slipped between my ribs. I wasn’t sure what was worse - the feel of unwanted sharpness inside of me, tearing through me, or the fact I couldn’t move away from it. The blade was ripped free and I staggered somewhat. I might have fallen if it weren’t for the way I was held to the tree at the moment.

            “Shall I do another?” one of the screamer’s asked, but my vision blurred and suddenly I couldn’t see straight. My hearing went in and out and everything seemed so damn far _away_ …

            “Kiiiieron…” I breathed, drawing out his name as my legs finally gave way. My stomach churned and my skin felt wet due to the blood pouring from the wound. How deep it was or anything…I didn’t know…couldn’t see it…couldn’t check…just…couldn’t…

            “Terry, stay awake,” Kieron hissed at me, suddenly close. I glanced around but the screamers were gone and Kieron was currently untying my wrists. As soon as I could, I lay sprawled out on the ground. Everything ached. My skin itched and burned, and there was this coldness seeping through me I didn’t like - at all.

            “Wh-Where?” I whispered.

            “They’re gone,” he said quietly.

            “How?”

            “Ran off.”

            “W-Why?”

            “Stop talking,” Kieron said.

            “W-Why?”

            He took in a deep breath and scrubbed a hand over his face. “We had help. Those two are strong but they’re still cowards at heart. Now shut up, okay?”

            “O-Oh.”

            “Jo’s coming right back,” he promised.

            “O-Oh?”

            He nodded. “She’ll fix you up.”

            “Kieron…”

            “Yeah?” he asked, watching me as I lay on the ground, staring up at him but my gaze wouldn’t focus that might right now. My lungs felt tight and my chest felt congested.

            I couldn’t stop the cough.

            I couldn’t see the blood, but I felt it on my lips and saw the look in Kieron’s eyes. It was a look I wasn’t sure I’d ever actually seen on Kieron before. I didn’t even know how to place it.

            “ ‘m I d-dying?” I asked breathlessly.

            “No,” he said, scowling, but it was too fast. His speed gave him away.

            “I a-am, a-aren’t…aren’t I?”

            “ _No_ ,” he said again, this time hissing the word through clenched teeth. A pain echoed through me and I suddenly realized his hands were pressed to my wound, pushing, holding, applying pressure.

            I was just a little too numb to really feel it.

            “ ‘s… ‘s this…” I swallowed and sucked in quick, sharp breaths because _damn it_ , it _hurt_. “ ‘s this…w-what it was like for…y-you? W-With the…sword…”

            His expression darkened. “No, because yours isn’t fatal.”

            “N-Neither…was yours,” I couldn’t help but quip. Technically, since he was an immortal, that left the sword innocent as a ‘non-fatal’ experience.

            Dark spots danced around my vision. Sticky wetness beneath me, around me, on me. So much blood. Saw it on Kieron’s hands as he shifted. Heard it squish between Kieron’s hand and my skin. Felt pressure on my ribs.

            “S-Stop,” I finally murmured.

            He shot me a look but of course didn’t do as I said.

            Coughing again, this time I saw the flecks of blood fly from my mouth and splash onto my chest. “F-Fuck,” I hissed, tossing my head back into the dirt-covered ground. Everything was getting very cold. I didn’t like the cold very much. I wanted it to go away.

            “Terry?” Kieron murmured, and I blinked my eyes open enough to peer at him.

            “ ‘s okay,” I murmured quietly. “Don’ blame y-you…”

            And it was true - I didn’t. I didn’t blame Kieron. He tried to help me.

            _Holy fuck, I’m gonna die._

            I’d been running my mind over it for a few minutes now, but it was the first time that actual thought presented itself. I found it utterly terrifying.

            I didn’t want to die. That was the whole reason we were in this stupid mess! I didn’t want to die!

            “Calm down,” Kieron said, and I tried to focus on him and suck in deep, calm breaths but suddenly all I could do was pant breathlessly. I couldn’t seem to get enough air into my lungs, like I ran a marathon and just stopped. My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth but I knew he didn’t have anything to drink, so I didn’t bother asking.

            “Don’…w-wanna die,” I admitted, biting down hard on my lower lip to keep from saying more, to keep from actually thinking about it. If I died here, no one would know. None of my friends or family would know. They’d just assume I was missing, if that. They would never find me, would never find my body.

            I could only imagine what they did to their dead here.

            _I don’t wanna die! Not fair!_

            “You’re not gonna die,” Kieron said quietly, sitting near my head. “Jo will be here soon, okay? Just…stay awake.”

            So far that hadn’t really been a problem, but it was getting so hard to breathe and it was getting so damn _cold_ …I really just wanted to curl up and go to sleep.

            “Hey, no - Hey, open your eyes!” Kieron snapped, causing me to jostle and blink them open. I didn’t bother looking toward him. With the way my vision blurred and my head spun, I had no hope of seeing him anyway.

            “K-Kie,” I stammered, “it’s f-freezing…”

            “It’s not,” he said softly, but there was an underlying tone I couldn’t quite place…

            Fingers tapped against my cheek. Brushed my bangs out of my face. I blinked my eyes open again - when had they closed? - and peered up at the moving blur of blue hair.

            “ ‘s it…b-bad?”

            “Is what…?”

            “D- Dying,” I stammered, shivering harshly but I couldn’t move. My body was so damn _tired_ and _exhausted_. I just wanted to sleep…

            “You’re not - hey, hey, look at me! Human, don’t you - Terry!”

            “H-Hurts,” I gasped, my eyes flying open wide when my heart stuttered painfully in my chest. My stomach churned and my mind struggled to think through the thick haze but I kept coming up with nothing.

            I couldn’t fucking _breathe_.

            My lungs ached and throbbed and when I tried to breathe, I just wound up coughing. Blood pooled in my throat and I found I didn’t have the strength to roll onto my stomach and spit it out.

            “Terry, hey - hey, no, no, open your eyes. Okay? Human!”

            I peered at Kieron. “K-Kie…t-tired..."

            “Don’t you dare, you - Human, don’t you fucking _dare_! Do you fucking _hear_ me? Fucking - Terry!”

            My eyes slipped closed, my breaths choked out of my chest, and then I slipped into a blissful void of _nothing_.


	31. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kieron is very confusing. Pushing him into the lake doesn't help... or does it?

Chapter Thirty-One: Awakening

 

 

 

I surprised myself later by waking up. Consciousness was a snake slithering through my mind in a thick haze, clouding my thoughts. A distant pain throbbed through me but it was dull and barely noticeable. My head ached a little, but my mind assured me it was too numb to really notice. Voices spoke around me, but I could not make out what was being said.

            Something touched my forehead. At first I was startled but then realized it was just a hand. Fingers brushed my damp bangs back and I struggled to open my eyes.

            A voice spoke to me. Familiar, and I struggled to get to it but my body wouldn’t move and my eyes didn’t want to open. I tried to say something - anything - but no sound came from my lips except a faint groan. I didn’t even hear it, just felt it rumble in my throat.

            “-man,” the voice said, breaking through the haze in my mind somewhat, “Hu-”

            I knew that voice. More than I really wanted to admit, I did.

            A name formed in my mind.

            “Kiiiiie,” I pushed through my lips, or at least I tried to. Whether or not it was coherent was another matter entirely.

            “Yeah,” the voice breathed so he must have understood it, “it’s me. Can you open your eyes?”

            “Nooo…”

            “Sure you can. C’mon. Human.”

            “Terry,” I corrected with a small sigh. I struggled to force my eyelids open, but it was still a good minute before they even started to part. As soon as light hit them, my eyes snapped shut again.

            “C’mon,” Kieron said. “Open ‘em.”

            I opened them again and forced myself to try and ignore the light. Eventually my eyes adjust and I opened them a little more. A blue blur hovered over me and as my gaze focused, I saw him smile. “Hey,” I whispered, “what…?”

            “You went and got stabbed,” he said stiffly, “but you’re okay now.”

            I could vaguely remember the pain, then the exhaustion and the cold, but not with clarity. Of course, that was probably for the best. “How…?”

            His expression darkened. “Doesn’t matter,” he said. “Jo helped you.”

            “But…” I hesitated. I couldn’t remember too much, but I did remember the part where I was _dying_. I knew I was dying. I hadn’t liked it, but I knew I was. So how was I here now, alive, breathing and talking? “Fatal,” I murmured.

            “No,” he said somewhat harshly, “ _not_ fatal.”

            “But…the ribs…” I was pretty sure it was fatal. I’d been swallowing down my own blood, coughed the substance up as well. Sounded pretty fatal to me.

            “You’re okay now.”

            “How?”

            “Does it matter?” he asked, moving away somewhat. “I’ll go let Jo know you’re awake.”

            He stepped away from where I lay – on a soft, comfortable bed, even though I remembered leaving the house because of the screamers. As I glanced around, I saw that this was not his parents’ house. It was a room I did not recognized. I looked toward Kieron when he started to open the door.

            “Wait,” I said quietly, though I wasn’t entirely sure why. I just suddenly didn’t want him to leave. I was surprised when he stopped and glanced back toward me, his hand resting on the doorknob.

            “Yeah?” he asked.

            I swallowed. “Are, um…are you okay?” I finally asked, because I could recall feeling a horrible itchiness coursing through me, which I figured meant he was in trouble, though I was still a little confused as to _how_ that happened, but whatever.

            He blinked at me. “I’m fine, human.”

            “It’s just…before the, um…the ribs. Before that, well, my skin was all itchy…”

            He shrugged. “Nothing to worry about.”

            “Oh. So you weren’t in trouble.”

            “I got out of it,” he said.

            I sighed and nodded, and then pushed my elbows under me, suddenly tired of lying down. I hissed and fell back, though, when something pulled painfully at my side. I blinked and suddenly Kieron was next to me again.

            “Yeah,” he said quietly, “don’t do that.”

            “Yeah…no kidding,” I breathed, wincing. “What…?”

            “Stitches,” he said. “Don’t move for a bit.”

            “Oh.” I blinked and looked at him. “So how, um…where did the screamers go, again?”

            He shrugged slowly. “They left.”

            “How? I thought they were invincible?”

            “ _Nearly_ invincible,” he corrected, and surprised me by sitting down on the edge of my bed. “And like I said, those two are cowards at heart. Jo and Rhett showed up and they took off. They’re strong but they’re still new.”

            “New?”

            “Well, yeah – new to the field and to fighting,” he explained.

            “Oh,” I said, like it made sense but really, I was still as confused as ever. However, my head was beginning to throb too much for me to really think about it too much so I let it go. “So where are we?”

            He shrugged. “A mutual friend’s, I guess.”

            “Huh?”

            “Jo knows him,” he said, shaking his head. I wasn’t sure why, but when his bangs fell into his eyes, I had this sudden urge to brush them back. Which reminded me…

            “Were you brushing my bangs back?” I asked, a smile worming its way onto my face.

            A scowl overtook his face and he got to his feet. “No,” he said, “I was just checking for a fever.”

            “Uh huh,” I said, grinning. “Admit it – you _do_ care!”

            “No, I don’t.”

            “Yes you do.”

            “I don’t.”

            “Uh huh – then why am I alive, huh? If you hate me like you say you do, why didn’t you just let me die?” I asked, watching him.

            “Because you’re important.”

            “Oh? Am I now?”

            “Not to _me_ ,” he said, scowling at me. “Just…to others. And contrary to popular belief, I’m not a coldhearted asshole.”

            “You care about me – admit it.”

            “I don’t.”

            “You do,” I argued, watching him with a wide smile. “Admit, it Kie – you wanna caress my face.”

            “Bullshit. And don’t call me that,” he said, but there was no heat in his voice, just that scowl on his face, and I couldn’t help but smile more.

            “C’mon, Kie – you like me.”

            He scoffed.

            “You _love_ …” But suddenly I couldn’t complete that sentence, because my stomach flipped and I felt somewhat breathless as I watched him. Suddenly I almost felt _happy_ – about what if he loved me…what if…he…

            “You’re delusional,” he said, snapping me out of my brief thoughts.

            _Right, of course he doesn’t love you…_ I sighed. _Wait – why do I even care?! What the fuck? Get a grip, Terry._

            “Just admit it,” I said, pushing those thoughts away, because I was enjoying the moment and I didn’t want it to end. “You wanna kiss me.”

            Another scoff, but he hadn’t moved away from the bed yet, so I took that as a good sign.

            Either that or he was planning on smacking me at some point, but was trying to restrain himself because I was hurt. Either way, though, he cared a little – either enough to stay at my side, or enough to not hit me right now because of my injuries.

            I couldn’t stop the wide grin which again overtook my face. “You wanna…” I swallowed. Could I say it? I could feel the blood rushing to my face even as I thought of it. “You wanna fuck me.”

            Silence wrapped around us for a long moment. I was afraid to even look at him.

            _Why would you…? He’s gonna kill, you Terry,_ my mind said.

            Finally I lifted my gaze and glanced at him. He was watching me thoughtfully. “What?” I asked quietly, but he stayed silent. I swallowed thickly. “Say something.”

            “Is it that you want to know if I wanna fuck you,” he started, watching me, “or that you _want_ me to fuck you?”

            “W-What?” I stammered. Intelligent, aren’t I? I stared at him, the blood rushing to my face because I hadn’t actually thought of that. Suddenly the image ran through my head.

            He was the aggressive type. He’d push me against a wall or throw me down, pin me there, be in complete control of the situation, but in a different way than Rufus and his ‘surprise sex’ bit…yet similar too, because once he got to a certain point, I would have no say. I would be without control, and he’d pin me down and take my clothes off, and-

            “Well?” he asked, eyes still focused on me, expression void of emotion. Just watching. Waiting.

            I ran my tongue across my suddenly dry lips. “W-Well,” I started, “um…m-maybe?”

            “Maybe what?”

            “You know…”

            “Oh?”

            I swallowed. He was really going to make me say it?

            “I’m waiting.”

            I took in a slow breath and said quickly, “Imightwantyoutofuckme. Maybe.”

            Silence again, for a long moment, before a slow smile overtook his face. I pried my tongue off the roof of my dry mouth and watched as he released a breathy laugh. Then he turned and walked toward the door.

            “W-Wait,” I said when his hand landed on the doorknob. He stopped but didn’t turn to look at me. “Say something.”

            “What do you want me to say?” he asked quietly.

            I swallowed. None of this sounded good. “Just…anything? Are you…mad?”

            “Get some rest,” he said.

            And then he slipped out of the room, closing the door with a quiet snap. I stared at where he previously stood and then rammed my head back into my pillows, releasing a quiet growl as I stared up at the ceiling.

            “Fuck.”

 

 

I barely saw Kieron for the next few days. At least three days passed and Jo came and went, saying I was healing quite nicely. I had to admit I felt a lot better. It was no longer so sore when I moved, and my head didn’t really ache anymore. I’d asked about how I was okay, but all she said was “Kieron” and left it at that, leaving me more confused.

            But I didn’t question it, mostly because she simply said to ask Kieron, and I couldn’t because he never returned to my room. I saw him once in the hallway when I was going to the restroom, but that was it and it was only in passing. If he saw me or not, I didn’t know.

            I wasn’t sure why, but I felt upset at the fact I was barely seeing him anymore, especially after our last talk. I’d basically let him know I wanted him to fuck me and I wanted to, well…be with him, I guess, and he’d left. Hadn’t returned. Hadn’t talked to me since.

            I screwed up. He’d been finally starting to talk to me, to maybe even _let me in_ , and I fucked it up.

            Maybe I deserved the silent treatment. There was nothing to say he even liked me like that, or even liked me at all.

            It was on the fourth day it happened.

            I was in the middle of tugging on a shirt when I heard movement behind me. Before I could move to see who was there, I was suddenly pushed against the wall, my chest pressing against it, a warm chest against my back. I sucked in a sharp breath, terrified – was it a screamer again? Already? – when someone breathed against my ear.

            “Is this what you wanted?” came Kieron’s voice, and I relaxed considerably.

            “What?” I asked, confused.

            “Don’t play dumb. Is this what you wanted?”

            “O-Oh,” I breathed, swallowing thickly. “M-Maybe.”

            “Oh? What else?”

            I could almost hear his smirk.

            “W-Well…I pictured less clothing,” I murmured, sure he was going to kill me now for saying that.

            “And then what?” he asked.

            “Well, um…you know.”

            “Oh?”

            “Y-Yeah.”

            “So…something like this.”

            And his hands slid down my sides. My breath caught in my throat at the light touch. His hands slid around to my stomach.

            “Or something like this.”

            And his hands slipped down, toward my jeans, and my breaths hitched. Lips pressed against the side of my neck, and-

            “Ouch!” I hissed when he bit down hard on a patch of skin.

            He chuckled and then shoved away from me. I all but staggered away from the wall and spun to face him. He watched me for a long moment before he turned toward the door.

            “Hey – where are you going?” I asked as he reached for the doorknob.

            “I’m hungry,” he said, like it was simple.

            “What? You can’t just…!”

            “Can’t what?” He turned to look at me.

            “You can’t just…just do _that_ and walk away!”

            “I think I can,” he said. “I am.”

            “But… you…”

            He couldn’t just do that to me and walk away! That was ridiculous!

            “What did you think was going to happen?” he asked.

            “I…I don’t…something…”

            “Oh?”

            “Just…yeah! You can’t just…”

            He watched me for a long moment and I swallowed, frozen under his gaze. Watched him lick his lips. Watched him glance away briefly. Watched him comb his fingers through his hair.

            “Maybe later,” he said finally.

            “O-Oh?”

            “Maybe.”

            “Why not, um…now?”

            He rolled his eyes. “You’re hurt.”

            “I feel fine.”

            He snorted. “It’s not up to debate.”

            “So you care about hurting me?” I asked, beginning to smile despite the sudden dismay I felt at the fact nothing was happening here…at least not now, apparently.

            “I don’t give a damn,” he said.

            “I think you do.”

            “Keep thinking that.”

            “I will,” I said. “So when…?”

            He scoffed and turned back toward the door. He twisted the knob and pushed it open. Then he paused very briefly. “We’ll talk later.”

            Then he pushed out of the room and disappeared from view. The door closed quietly in his wake.

 

 

_Heated blue eyes locked onto mine. Strong hands pushed me into the wall, firm on my shoulders. Clothes ripped away. Mouths met in a heated dance, tongues swirling. Fingers carded through hair, tugged, pulled. Teeth nipped, bit at flesh. Few words spoken. No words needed, just a push. A thrust. A-_

_“Kie,” I breathed. Reached toward him. Tugged him toward me, onto me. Felt him enter-_

            The door to my room opened, startling me awake. My eyes snapped open to find Jo entering my room. She blinked at me. “Are you okay?” she asked. “You’re all sweaty.”

            I swallowed thickly. “I’m okay.” What was I supposed to say? That I was picturing her son fucking me? Hell no. I wasn’t saying that. I still wasn’t sure why I was even _thinking_ about it.

            “Well, I just wanted to come take out your stitches,” she said with a smile as she approached the bed. I nodded and sat up, tugging my shirt off for her to see my side. She ran her gaze over it and then touched it with her fingertips. “You are healing quite nicely!”

            “Thanks,” I said. “What does Kieron have to do with it?”

            She shrugged. “He hasn’t told you?”

            “Um…no.”

            She blinked at me, a little confused. “He hasn’t told you about bonding?”

            I frowned for a long moment before it hit me. “Wait – he said he couldn’t heal me yet…just…soothe…he can _heal_ me now?!”

            She grinned. “Not very well,” she said. “Just enough so you didn’t bleed out before we could get to you.”

            “He…saved my life.”

            She nodded. “Sure did. Now, let’s get those stitches out…”

            Once the stitches were out, I ran a hand down my side. It was smooth except for a faint scar, which was a small bump on otherwise flat skin. I smiled. “Thanks!” A pause as a thought occurred to me. “So I’m good now, right? I’m healed? Not hurt anymore?”

            She shook her head. “You will be fine now,” she said. “There might be some pain for a bit, but I don’t think it will be a problem, really. Why? Do you have plans?”

            I tried to fight off the blush but couldn’t stop the blood from rushing to my face. “Uhm…n-not really,” I said. See how convincing I am?

            She smirked and got to her feet. “Sorry if I woke you,” she said. “It’s nearly two in the afternoon – I thought you would be awake.”

            “It’s fine,” I said. “You wouldn’t happen to know where Kieron is, would you?”

            It had been two days since I last saw him, after all. He was surprisingly good at avoiding me.

            “Last I saw he was down by the lake.”

            “Lake?” I frowned and realized I didn’t actually know where we were. I hadn’t been outside yet. “Where…?”

            “Out the back door,” she said, “and follow the trail. It will lead you straight to him.”

            I smiled and all but jumped to my feet. “Thanks!” I called as I ran from the room.

            In a matter of seconds, I was out of the house and halfway down the trail. I stopped to catch my breath – didn’t want to look like I was in a hurry or anything, right? – and then continued forward at a casual walk.

            I found Kieron where Jo said he would be. He was standing at the lake’s edge, the shadow of his silhouette rippling with the water’s waves. His back was to me so I quietly crept up behind him, ready to pounce and-

            “Human,” Kieron said, and I staggered to a halt as he turned to face me.

            “H-Hey,” I said quietly, watching him. “How’d you know?”

            “Please,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes. “You’re far too loud. Not to mention you smell.”

            “I…smell?” I blinked at him. “You’re smelling me now?”

            “It’s not like I’m trying to,” he said, scowling. “You need to shower.”

            My face burned. “Well, sorry – Jo said I couldn’t with stitches!”

            He nodded. “How are they?”

            “I just got them out,” I said, grinning, “so I have a clean bill of health!”

            He grunted and then turned to face the water again. I stepped toward him.

            “Soooo,” I said slowly, “I’m better now.”

            “I see that.”

            Silence.

            I cleared my throat. “So we can…”

            “Hmm?” He glanced toward me as I stood next to him.

            I shifted my feet nervously, avoiding his gaze. “Well, um…the other day…we can…finish that.”

            “Oh?”

            I nodded. “Yeah.”

            A pause.

            “What do you want?”

            “Huh?” I glanced at him to find him watching me thoughtfully. “What do you mean?”

            “What do you want?” he repeated.

            “W-Well, um…”

            He waited.

            I swallowed thickly. “I want…you to fuck me.”

            A grin split across his face. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

            I scowled at him. “Yeah, whatever. So?”

            He shook his head and I wasn’t sure why, but this upset me more than it should have. My face burned because here he made me _say_ it and suddenly he wasn’t…?

            “What the fuck?” I asked, glaring at him. “Why not?”

            “I’m not in the mood,” he said, looking out toward the water again.

            “What?! Then what the fuck was that in the bedroom, huh?”

            He shrugged.

            I glared at the side of his head for a total of two seconds before I growled and shoved at him harshly, so much so that he staggered forward and fell over the side of the bank and toppled into the water. I stared as he sank under and then resurfaced a second later, coughing out water as he glared harshly at me.

            _Oh shit._

            He was going to kill me!

            He climbed out of the water, growling faintly, and approached me.

            I backed up. “K-Kieron, I’m sorry,” I said quickly, holding my hands up defensively. “I just-”

            My words dispersed when Kieron flew at me and tackled me to the ground, my breaths tapering off momentarily. Once I regained them, I stared up into dark blue eyes which stared back at me, flickering in irritation. I was suddenly very aware of our proximity, him straddling my stomach, hands firm on my shoulders, pressing me down into the ground.

            Of course, he was soaking and therefore making me wet as well. Water dripped from his hair, his bangs clinging to his forehead. Swallowing, I decided to take a chance and brought a hand up to brush his bangs back. He released a low growl and glared at my hand, but made no move to stop me, so I took my merry time before I dropped my hand back to the ground.

            He lowered his head, still growling somewhat, but it wasn’t an angry growl – not really. I couldn’t exactly describe it except for somewhat ‘animal’ in nature. He continued lowering his head until his lips landed on mine, a quiet snarl vibrating his mouth as teeth nipped at my lower lip.

My hands reached up and snagged at his shirt, trying to tug him toward me, but he only growled again until I tore my hands away. A moment later I tried again because he wasn’t moving, but he glared at me and growled again.

            His hands lifted off my shoulders and tore my shirt off in one quick motion. The article of clothing was tossed to the side, quickly forgotten because his hands now slid down my sides, leaving me somewhat breathless as his hands slipped down lower, toward my hips. His fingers knocked against the fabric of my pants and I struggled to pull them off but with him still sitting on me, it wasn’t happening. Slowly – so damn slowly – he unbuttoned my pants but then didn’t pull them down.

            Instead he brought his mouth to my chest. I stiffened at the feel of wet lips against my skin, water dripping down onto me. I shivered at the cold but also shivered from the warm feel of his mouth lingering over my chest. Teeth nipped at bits of skin and I fought back a wince.

            Finally he slid off me and yanked off my pants. I swallowed at the freedom of the cloth, unaware I’d gotten so damn hard, but now it was embarrassingly obvious as his somewhat feral gaze lingered over me.

            I reached toward him, wanting to tug his shirt off, but he smacked my hands away with another small growl. “Kie,” I breathed, but he growled again and glared at me.

            Fingers trailed down my sides again, coming to rest on my hips, and I shifted into the touch, suddenly needing it. My erection strained against the fabric of my underwear but before I could reach down to free myself, I was suddenly rolled, barely able to suppress the yelp which threatened to spring forth when my chest and face were suddenly facing the dirt ground. I tried to sit up or roll back over, but firm hands landed on my hips, holding me down, and try as I might to move, I knew I would not win this battle.

            A thrill inched through me. He was in control here, not me. But it wasn’t like with Rufus, because I knew it was Kieron and I could stop this – right? All I had to do was say something. Right?

            Suddenly I wasn’t too sure, but when I opened my mouth to say something, I found a cloth being wrapped around my head in a gag. I startled and tried to get the hands off me – what if it wasn’t Kieron? I wasn’t really paying attention to behind me – but then felt a steadying hand land in the small of my back.

            “You talk too much and you’ll attract fucking company,” Kieron hissed. “So suck it up and stop struggling or you are going to make this fucking worse on yourself.”

            I swallowed and nodded. At least it wasn’t a crazy person, but still. I felt hesitant. This reminded me a little too much of Rufus, except I was still free to move around. My hands were not bound – I as only gagged, and as a precaution. Kieron did not want witnesses and I had been known to be a vocal bottom, so it was somewhat understandable.

            My underwear ripped away from me suddenly. It wasn’t pulled off – it was ripped, sliding easily away from my skin to be tossed to the side in a forgotten pile.

            I struggled to roll over – my cock had very little room to do anything except slide into dirt the way I was laying – a growl had me stopping.

            “Kieron,” I tried to say, but it simply came out as an unintelligible mumbling.

            And then I felt it – warm, solid, against the crease of my ass. I stiffened and my breath caught in my throat. Hands grabbed my hips and lifted me in an angle, and my palms couldn’t hold me up fast enough.

            I couldn’t stop the cry when I was entered. There was no warning. One minute there as nothing, then he was suddenly tearing into me. It wasn’t fast but it wasn’t slow. Just a little quick, and I bit hard at my gag, struggling to swallow back the whines I wanted to make.

            Once he slid in all the way, he pulled back out, then rammed back in quickly, nails beginning to dig into my hips as he kept a firm hold on me. My own nails dug into the dirt beneath me, and I wasn’t sure my cock had ever been more erect. It’s pretty bad when your cock is straighter than you.

            I tried to look back at him, see him, watching him, anything, but he would not allow it. Every time I tried, he would pull out and growl at me, so I finally stopped trying because it felt _so damn good_. And I didn’t want it to fucking _stop_.

            My ass stretched and tightened as he slid in and out at a rapidly quickening pace. I couldn’t keep up with it. I tried to ram myself backward somewhat while he rammed himself forward, into me, but our rhythms were off and it just seemed odd.

            _Oh holy fuck!_

            That spot, yes! Ohhhh that marvelous spot!

            I didn’t even bother trying to swallow down the moans of pleasure, because he was hitting that spot, that fucking spot, and it took all I had not to come here and now.

            “Stop,” I wanted to tell him. I tried to shout it, tried to make him slow down so I wouldn’t-

            But he couldn’t understand me, and when I tried to pull away, off of him, his hold on my hips held firm and he tugged me back, onto him, then off, on, off, in a steady, quick rhythm and _holy fuck_.

            “K-Kiiie,” I breathed, struggling to fight it off because I couldn’t do it now – not yet! We’d just gotten started!

            And then his hand had to go and close around my dick like a much needed vice, and all it took was that simple touch of his fingers on my throbbing shaft before I howled out in pleasure as cum shot out of me, squirting up my stomach and chest, and onto Kieron’s fingers too.

            After the ecstasy left my mind and I could see straight again, I realized my arms ached from holding me up. My knees burned from this held position. But Kieron still slammed into me, holding me in place until finally, in a series of quick, harsh thrusts which left me breathless, he released a grunt and exploded inside of me. A trail of cum followed his dick as he pulled it out of my ass.

            I collapsed to the ground, arms unable and unwilling to hold me up any longer, and finally rolled to face the blue-haired immortal.

            Kieron was already slipping his pants on, currently in the process of buttoning them. I stared at him as he tossed my clothes toward me and then proceeded to slip his shirt on as well.

            “Where are you going?” I asked.

            He shrugged. “Have stuff to do.”

            “But…” I chewed on my lower lip because what did I expect to happen after we fucked? Did I expect him to hang around and talk? Did I expect him to lay next to me in bed and…

            No. I didn’t.

            I just wanted _something_.

            By the time I snapped out of my thoughts, Kieron was already gone from my sigh, and the only reminder I had was the throbbing which still echoed in my cum-filled ass.


	32. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He can't just walk away. That's not fair. You're going to talk about this, dammit.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Confrontation

 

 

 

_He fucked me and left. Like it was nothing. Like it meant nothing._

            I wasn’t sure why it bothered me so much. He never said it was anything else, and I didn’t really expect much else. Still, though, _something_ would have been nice. What I wanted, I didn’t know, but anything would have been better than this.

            Swallowing, I trudged back toward the house, tugging on my shirt. My heart hurt but I didn’t know why. Something boiled inside of me and I thought it might have been rage, but that didn’t make much sense. Did I expect him to say something afterward? Did I expect him to stay with me? Did I expect him to _cuddle_? No, not really. I knew before we fucked that it wasn’t him. He wasn’t that type of person.

            So why, then, did I suddenly want to rip his head off?

            _He used me,_ I thought. _Just like all the fucking others. Fucked me and left just like everyone else._

            Except I was still stuck with him. I was stuck with him because of this stupid bond, because he was my only hope of survival. I was stuck with him for reasons I didn’t understand, and now I knew things would be different. He’d finally started letting me in – maybe – and now he was going to ignore me. I could sense it. Just like he’d pretty much avoided me these past few days while I healed.

            Still, though, earlier he’d said he wouldn’t because I was hurt. That had to mean something. And he hadn’t seemed angry when I admitted I wanted him to fuck me. There had been something in his eyes, in his expression, in his words…

            But then today. I pushed him into the water, angered at the fact he said he wasn’t in the mood. So maybe it was my fault. That hadn’t really been caring sex – more aggressive and maybe even angry, but not sensitive, not caring.

            So why did I feel so _mad_? I knew going in he wasn’t the type to really care. I’ve known that all along – why would I think any differently?

            But as I approached the house, suddenly all I could think of was the fact he used me – just like everyone else. Didn’t matter that I wanted it, or that I pretty much got what I asked for. All I knew was I had to do something – anything – to get this anger out because _why did he use me_.

            Why was he like everyone else?

            I hadn’t thought he was different – so why did it hurt so fucking _much_?

            I stormed into the house, causing Jo to look up from the kitchen table. “Terry,” she greeted with a smile.

            “Where’s Kieron?” I asked without smiling back.

            She blinked at me. “He went for a walk,” she said.

            _Fuck him._ “Where?”

            She told me the direction he’d gone and I hurried out the front door. He couldn’t have been too far ahead of me. I took the time to think of what I was going to say, and why I was even going after him in the first place. Maybe because I knew he would ignore me. Maybe because he walked off like I was nothing. Maybe because…

            Well, it could have been because of a lot of things, none of which I really understood. I just knew I had to find him, talk to him about it, because why…?

            _He waited until I was okay,_ I told myself. _That has to count for something. That means something, damn it._

            But what if it didn’t? Kieron was immortal. He was an asshole. Why would he give a damn if I was hurt if he was just going to fuck me and walk away anyway?

            Angrily, I kicked at the dirt on the ground, the anger burning through my veins like a roaring fire.

            I wasn’t sure how long I walked, but I finally came across him. He was walking slowly, trudging along the dirt path that led into town – at least I assumed so, I could see smoke in the distance from a chimney – and I quickly caught up to him.

            I grabbed his shoulder and spun him around before he could react. “What the fuck was that?” I snapped, glaring at him as he blinked at my presence.

            “What?” he asked.

            “What the fuck was that?” I repeated. “You just left!”

            “What did you expect?”

            My ears burned. “Something! You don’t just fuck me and walk away! Like…Like I’m nothing!”

            He stared at me and said nothing, expression guarded.

            “Fuck you!” I snapped, whirling away from him angrily. “How could I possibly think you could ever care about anyone but yourself? You’re a selfish asshole.”

            Now he glared as I turned back to face him. “I gave you what you wanted,” he snapped back, jabbing a finger into my chest. “What more do you fucking _want_?”

            I swallowed thickly but didn’t back down. Instead I pressed my hands against his chest and shoved harshly, causing him to actually stagger back. “I want it to fucking _mean_ something, you asshole!”

            “Why?” he hissed, eyes flashing.

            “Why?” I repeated thickly.

            “Why the hell do you want it to mean something?”

            I bit down on my lower lip. “Because,” I whispered, my voice suddenly lost of its previous strength, “if it didn’t mean something…then it’s just like everyone else…”

            And for some reason, I didn’t want Kieron to be like everyone else. Why I thought it would be different – or even wanted it to be – I didn’t know, but I couldn’t help how I felt. All I knew was the thought of him just walking away like so many others…onto the next, better person…ignoring my presence after I tried so damn hard to get in…

            It hurt far more than it should have.

            He watched me for a long moment, and I stared back at him, swallowing thickly. Then he breathed out a heavy sigh and turned his back to me to walk away.

            “No,” I said quickly, snatching hold of his shoulder, “don’t walk away. You don’t get to do that! You fucked me so talk to me!”

            He paused briefly, shrugged me off, took a few steps forward, and then stopped. Though he didn’t turn around, I saw his shoulders slump somewhat. “It’s not because it _didn’t_ mean something,” he finally murmured.

            Then he walked away, and while I wanted nothing more than to make him stay, all I could do was think about his words as they swirled around in my mind.

 

 

Kieron didn’t return for a day. I spent that day pondering – agonizing – over his words. They kept replaying over and over in my head, despite how much I tried not to think about it. What did he mean? What could he mean?

            By the time he returned, it was late at night a day later, and he immediately went to the room he was staying in. As far as I knew, it was just three people here – me, Kieron, and Jo. I didn’t know where Rhett was – actually hadn’t asked – and I didn’t know where the owner of the house was. Again, I hadn’t asked.

            But I didn’t want to let this go, so I crept toward his door and knocked very quietly. I heard nothing so I pushed the door open and entered the room, whispering a quiet, “Kie?”

            He sat on his bed and watched me. “Human,” he greeted with a small nod of his head.

            I swallowed and approached the bed. “I think we should talk,” I said quietly.

            “About?”

            “What we did.”

            He sighed. “Human, I’m tired. I really don’t-”

            “We need to,” I snapped, cutting him off as I glared. “What the fuck did you mean?”

            “Mean?”

            “You said it didn’t _not_ mean something,” I said, watching him, “so it meant something, right?”

            “Human…”

            I held a hand up, a little surprised when he snapped his mouth shut. “Just…tell me it meant something,” I said quietly, my heart racing in my chest though I wasn’t sure why. “Just tell me…it wasn’t just fucking. Tell me you weren’t just _using_ me.”

            “Terry, I-”

            Whatever he was about to say was swallowed something sharp slide through the flesh of his side. First it broke through the window behind him, then through his side, then onward into the wall behind me. I stared at the arrow stuck in the wall and then toward the immortal as Kieron went stiff and then toppled to the side.

            “Kieron!” I ran to his side as the window broke further. Someone stepped through and I looked up from where I knelt at Kieron’s side.

            A hooded figure stepped toward me. A chill crawled up my spine as Kieron lay gasping on the ground, blood splashing into the carpet.

            It wasn’t until red eyes locked onto mine that I realized:

            _Fuck, we’re screwed._


	33. Red Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A weapon is killing perpetuals. The immortal are more mortal than they thought. Is this the weapon?

Chapter Thirty-Three: Red Eyes

 

 

 

I stared in shock at the figure before me, because it was far too familiar. I’d tried to forget about it - the way this guy managed to toss a weakened Kieron around like he was nothing; the way he watched me with those red eyes - but it hadn’t really worked. Nothing could erase it from my mind, and now those same eyes stared at me again.

            I tightened my grip on Kieron’s shoulder as the figure stepped toward me. The hood was still up but nothing could hide those glowing red eyes. “Who are you?” I finally managed to whisper. The crossbow, previously held limply at the figure’s side, raised to aim again at Kieron. “No, wait! Leave him alone!”

            “Human,” Kieron groaned, eyes blinking open to peer at me. “Run.”

            I shook my head despite the wild racing of my panicked heart. Something about this figure had me wanting to get as far away as possible, in as short amount of time as possible. But I couldn’t leave Kieron, even though he could be a big asshole at times.

            The crossbow stayed aimed.

            “Who are you?” I asked again, thoughts scrambling as I struggled to think of what to say, what to do. “What do you want?”

            I was more than a little shocked when I received an answer.

            “Who I am is not important,” the figure said in a voice which rasped and hissed as though the words were shoved out of parched mouth. “What I want is not important. I am merely following orders.”

            “Orders?” I asked. “What orders?” Who was ordering this figure to do this? Who could stand to look at those red eyes and order this guy around?

            Kieron shoved away from me and sat up, wincing as he prodded at his wounded side, which was starting to heal. Already the gash didn’t seem nearly as wide or deep, and the blood flow had slowed tremendously. Narrowed blue eyes watched the figure. “Who gave you orders?” he growled.

            My hand, still on his shoulder, tightened in its firm grip, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt. “Kieron,” I murmured quietly, wishing he wouldn’t antagonize the figure with a crossbow still aimed at him. Even if Kieron couldn’t die, I still didn’t want to see him hurt. I knew he still felt pain, and as he said, was _used_ to feeling pain, but that wasn’t right. I didn’t care if he was used to it or not - growling at a guy with a crossbow aimed at him wasn’t a good idea.

            He still didn’t shove me off, though.

            The figure remained silent.

            Kieron sighed. “What are your orders?”

            The breathy laugh which escaped the figure had chills crawling down my spine. It sounded nothing like when Kieron did the same laugh - maybe because it _wasn’t_ the same. When Kieron gave a breathy laugh, it was in amusement, an emotion I rarely seemed to see from him, so it made me feel somewhat pleased when I heard that sound. This figure’s breathy laugh, though…

            It didn’t sound evil. It didn’t sound good. It didn’t sound anything in-between, either. I wasn’t sure why I didn’t like it, but as the sound swirled around us in the air, all I could think was that I wanted it to _stop_.

            “I’m to capture the human,” the figure said, and his eyes flickered toward me briefly before they again looked at Kieron. “And to capture you as well - or kill you.”

            Kieron scoffed. “Perpetual - can’t die.”

            Another laugh, not as breathy, more deep and more… _no_. I didn’t like it at _all_. Unconsciously, I found myself sliding closer to Kieron, my chest pretty much on his left shoulder blade. “Haven’t you heard? Perpetuals aren’t so perpetual after all.”

            I swallowed thickly as Kieron’s words - from not that long ago, really - came back to me with a vengeance. “They’re dying,” I whispered quietly. “Immortals are dying.”

            “That’s right,” the figure said, long white fingers wrapping around the crossbow still aimed at Kieron. “Shall we see if you’ll live?”

            And then he loosed the arrow.

            “No!” I cried, trying to tug Kieron more toward me, away from the line of fire, but of course I wasn’t quick enough. Maybe if I’d been a perpetual like him, I would have been fast enough but I wasn’t.

            The arrow met its mark in Kieron’s stomach. The immortal flinched at the impact and looked down at the arrow protruding from his flesh. Shakily, he brought a hand up and wrapped it around the stem.

            “No,” I breathed, hurriedly kneeling over him as he started to fall sideways. “No, don’t pull it out.” I snatched his hand away from the arrow and held it in my own, tightly, even as he tried to break free and reach again for the arrow. His other arm was busy being held under him as he fell completely over, landing on his side.

            I didn’t know much about arrows - okay, I knew nothing - but I was pretty sure if something was sticking out of you, you weren’t supposed to pull it out. Even so, blood was already leaking from him, staining the floor, and my heart raced as my mind scrambled for fractured thoughts.

            _Fix this,_ I told myself, _I can fix this. He doesn’t die. He’s okay._

            Except the figure’s words returned and slammed into me, and suddenly I wasn’t so sure.

            “ ‘s okay,” Kieron murmured, eyelids fluttering, expression taut with pain. “ ‘s okay, T-erry.”

            “No, it’s not,” I breathed, “just hold on, okay? I’ll…I’ll…”

            But there was nothing I could do, because I was useless and knew nothing about anything like this. I didn’t know how to help him, or even if I could. All I could do was watch as blood continued to pour from his body.

            _Gut shot,_ my mind told me faintly, _people get shot in the gut. Never live._

            I shoved those thoughts away quickly.

            A hand landed on my arm and yanked me roughly to my feet. I growled and struggled to fight my way back to Kieron, but already I was being dragged toward the window. I turned to glare at the figure who had a hell of a grip on my arm. Already I could feel bruises forming.

            “Let go,” I hissed, trying to tear his grip off with my free hand. “Let go! I can help him!”

            Another breathy laugh from the figure. Once he got to the window, he leaned out and said, “Alright, boys - he’s all yours.”

            And I watched in horror as a screamer emerged from the shadows and approached the window. I struggled to break free but I wasn’t the target - the screamer quickly bypassed me and moved toward-

            “Kieron,” I hissed, “Kieron, get up! Run!”

            He swiveled his cloudy gaze toward me but didn’t bother trying to stand. He didn’t even try to talk.

            And then I was yanked out the window. A second screamer approached us a few minutes later and despite my struggling, some strange sort of metal - handcuffs? - clasped onto my wrists, holding them behind my back. A cloth was tied around my eyes, and then another around my mouth, gagging me despite my efforts at freedom.

            I was useless. Just a weak human. There was nothing I could do to help Kieron, or to help myself.

            I failed him. He tried so hard to keep me safe and I failed to do the same for him. Now I didn’t even know if-

            _No,_ I cut that thought off quickly, _he’s alive. He’s okay. He’s immortal._

            Except immortality was suddenly short-lived. Immortals were dying. _Kieron_ could be dying…

            Already weakened, he was left to the screamers…even if he didn’t die, I knew the screamers wouldn’t go easy on him. There would be more pain.

            And there was nothing I could do.

 

 

I wasn’t sure how long we walked - minutes, hours, days - but by the time we stopped, I’d managed to trip nearly twenty times and my feet burned with new blisters. The gag in my mouth was damp with saliva, and the blindfold was making my eyelids very tender and itchy.

            And it was then I realized - I didn’t feel itchy.

            My skin wasn’t burning. It didn’t itch. I felt no need to scratch and rub at my arms, and I wasn’t sure what that meant.

            It meant Kieron was okay, right?

            _Or it could mean he’s dead,_ my mind told me.

            _He’s okay,_ I snapped back.

            He’d been rammed through with a damn _sword_ \- an arrow to the stomach was nothing compared to that, right?

            Suddenly I wished the _bond_ would have my skin itching and burning, because at least then that meant he was _alive_ \- maybe not _okay_ , but _alive_.

            Because dying was suddenly a possibility.

            A push at my shoulder had me tripping over my feet and toppling face first into the ground. I groaned and rolled onto my side, wincing, before I rolled onto my back and used my cuffed hands to push myself into a sitting position.

            Words were spoken - growled - around me, but I couldn’t really hear what was being said.

            _Why are you doing this?_ I wanted to ask. _Why am I so damn important to you people?_

            I was never important before - why now? I was just the ‘good bottom’ people fucked and then left for the next best thing. I had a father who could care less if I existed, a brother I rarely saw, and friends I sometimes wasn’t so sure liked me. Except John - he was probably my only real friend. Rufus just liked to fuck around every once in a while and he obviously didn’t care about my well-being, right? Not with that whole ‘surprise sex’ act of his. People who cared about the life of their friends - or sometimes-hook-ups - didn’t do things like that.

            I could have died then.

            I was pretty sure I was going to die now. Why I was still alive, I didn’t know. I also didn’t see why I seemed to matter so much. Was I really so important I had to be _hunted_ like this?

 

 

My body was so sore. It had been held in the same position throughout the day we stayed in one spot - presumably for them to sleep - and I couldn’t just leave because I couldn’t see where I was going. Not to mention the fact I was pretty sure I was in the middle of them, and to move would cause them to wake.

            So I had no choice but stay put.

            Until a hand grabbed my shoulder, and another slid over my mouth. I grunted as I was tugged backward, my ass sliding along the ground, the dirt and friction catching hold of my pants, nearly tugging them off.

            “Shh,” a voice whispered, and I stiffened because it was familiar.

            I was dragged a little longer before we stopped and the blindfold slid free of my eyes. I blinked my eyes open and looked around but couldn’t see behind me, where the person sat. The gag slid away and fingers worked at my wrists.

            “Kieron?” I breathed.

            “Who else is stupid enough to go after you?” he whispered back. “We gotta stay quiet, human.”

            “You’re okay?” I couldn’t help but ask.

            “Just an arrow,” he said, like it was nothing. “I don’t…know what’s killing perpetuals, but it wasn’t that, okay?”

            I nodded.

            “Damn, these are tight,” he muttered to himself. I felt claws prick at my skin and shifted, wincing a little. “Sorry,” he actually apologized. “Hold still.”

            A moment later, the metal slid off my wrists and I yanked them in front of me, rubbing at them. The dark indentations left behind were very tender and sore, but that was okay because now I was free. I spun to face Kieron.

            He looked fine, really - a little tired, maybe, with bags under his eyes, and still pale, but _fine_. Alive. He still wore the same bloody clothes, but through the rips in the shirt I could tell his wounds were healed.

            “C’mon,” he said, grabbing my arm, hauling me to my feet, “we gotta get out of here. Stay quiet.”

            “But the-”

            “Shh,” he hissed, glaring at me. “Unless you _want_ to stay here.”

            Quickly, I shook my head. No, I did not want to stay here. I wanted to get as far away from here as possible.

            And when his grip slid down my arm to rest in my hand, I said nothing of it. It was probably just because he was leading me quickly through the trees, tugging me along, but still - I found myself tightening my hold on his hand.

            Because maybe I was important enough to be hunted - but at least to someone, I was important enough to be saved.


	34. Campfire Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kieron can be really nice sometimes. Also, Ashere reappears quite unexpectedly.

Chapter Thirty-Four: Campfire Talks

 

 

 

We never went back to that house, or to Jo and Rhett. Instead, Kieron led me through the trees throughout the day, and we barely spoke. Instead, we walked - limped in my case because my feet were so damn sore - and quietly glanced at each other from time to time. I would have thought it was cute if I wasn’t so sure it was just a survival technique of Kieron’s - watch the other person with you but don’t talk, and keep a lookout for trouble. I was pretty sure that was why he kept glancing toward me.

            By the time we stopped, it was nightfall again, and we’d walked so damn much I couldn’t feel my feet, but I figured that was a blessing because if the blisters were anything to go by, I didn’t _want_ to feel them.

            That night we sat around the flickering green flames and shared a bit of rhine, which I found I actually missed. It had been a while since I had it, but as soon as he pulled it out, I remembered it instantly - the texture, the taste, the smell.

            We munched on that for a few minutes before Kieron leaned back against a tree, arms folded across his chest. “Go ahead and sleep,” he told me.

            “What about you?” I asked.

            “Don’t worry about me,” he said. “I know you’re tired. It’s been a long day.”

            “You should sleep too.” He looked exhausted, and I knew healing took a lot out of him, whether he’d admit it or not, and he’d traveled so far to find me, and then all day today with me. He really needed the rest, maybe more than I did.

            “One of us has to keep watch,” he said. “Get some sleep, human.”

            I sighed and shook my head. “Do you really think they’ll catch up to us so easily?”

            “Screamers are fast,” Kieron said.

            “What about that, um…that figure?” I whispered, an image of the red eyes flashing through my mind despite the way I struggled to push the thoughts away. Every time I thought of the guy, it gave me chills and I wasn’t sure why. There was something just _wrong_ about him. “Who…what is he?”

            Kieron paused for a long moment, staring into the green flames which cast little patterns of dispersing colors across his face, before he finally answered. “I don’t know who he is, really. Or where he came from. Or even what he is. No one really does, I don’t think. But they think he’s a demon.”

            “A wha-…demons are _real_?” I asked, staring at him.

            “In a way,” he said, “but not how you think. They’re not denizens of hell or anything like that. They’re just…misfits, really.”

            “Misfits?”

            “They’re basically Etherians who went wrong - they were born different. Something went wrong in their DNA or something.” He shrugged. “I don’t know that much about them, except they like darkness and fire. There’s not many in existence.” A pause, like hesitation. “Most who run into them don’t come back to, you know…talk about it.”

            I swallowed thickly. “O-Oh,” I murmured. “Not even…perpetuals?”

            Now his expression darkened. “I don’t know how perpetuals are dying, but I sure as hell intend to find out,” he vowed, and I knew he was serious.

            “What does it have to do with me?” I asked. “Why does he want me? Why are the screamers after em? What do they want?”

            Kieron shrugged with a heavy, tired sigh. “No one really knows. Like I said before, you’re an anomaly. There have been very few like you, and none that I’ve ever known, personally. So I don’t know what they want, because while someone like you could be important to a variety of Etherians…it doesn’t make sense. Why are they hunting _you_ specifically? I don’t know, human. I can’t answer that.”

            I sighed heavily. “Okay, just…if you figure anything out…will you please let me know?” I sat next to him against the tree, watching him as his eyes closed momentarily before snapping open again, the green flames making the blue of his eyes seem to glow.

            “I’ll try,” he said, “but that’s the best I can say.”

            I nodded. “Okay, thanks.” A pause. “So, Kie…”

            “Don’t call me that,” he said, scowling as he glanced at me. “And what?”

            “Maybe we should…talk now?”

            “Now?” he asked, frowning. “Seriously? When you’re being hunted?”

            “I’m always being hunted,” I snapped. “Now seems like a good time to me. So?”

            He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “About what?”

            “Us,” I said quietly, and then frowned because I wasn’t sure there even _was_ an ‘us’. “About, um…when you…”

            “When I fucked you, yes, get on with it.”

            “Well…you said it wasn’t because it _didn’t_ mean anything. So just…what does that mean, exactly?”

            “Alpha, you’re really going to get into this right now?”

            “If not now,” I asked, frowning, “when?”

            “Human…”

            “Just…tell me it meant something,” I whispered, averting my gaze toward the flames instead of Kieron’s face. A moment later I felt the heat of his gaze on me. “Just tell me it wasn’t just…a spur of the moment thing. Tell me you’re not like the others.”

            “I don’t even know what that means,” he said, shifting next to me.

            “There’s been a lot of guys in my life,” I murmured. “I admit I liked most of it, but…they all just…wanted to fuck and as soon as…we did…they took off like I was _nothing_. I just…” I swallowed thickly and closed my eyes, heart clogging my throat as I thought about it. “I just don’t want to be _nothing_ to…to you.”

            There was a long, drawn out pause which surrounded us. The silence was tense yet comfortable at the same time, if that made any sense. I kept my eyes closed but felt his gaze on me just the same, knew he was watching me, waiting, but I would not give him the satisfaction of seeing my expression when he answered that I was nothing to him, just like the others, just like-

            “If you were nothing to me,” he said slowly, quietly, cutting into my thoughts, “I would have left you with the screamers.”

            I swallowed and blinked my eyes open, glancing at him hesitantly. He wasn’t looking at me anymore, instead watching the flames flicker and dance, expression fairly blank. I took in a slow breath and then shifted a little closer to him. If he noticed, he didn’t show it, so I scooted more toward him.

            “Kieron,” I said quietly, watching as his gaze snapped toward me and narrowed at our proximity. I took in a deep breath to relax myself, but even so, I still felt jittery and tense.

            “Human?”

            I swallowed. “Can we…can we kiss again?”

            After a brief moment of silence, Kieron threw his head back into the tree and released a short, loud laugh, which seemed like the first _real_ , _genuine_ one he’d given since I met him. “We’re being hunted,” he said, laughter dispersing into little more than a faint smirk, “and that’s what you want to do? That’s what you’re thinking about? Kissing?”

            My cheeks burned but I nodded. “Well…why not?” I asked, watching him. “Is that a yes?”

            Now his eyes rolled. “Would it matter if I said no?”

            I smiled faintly, sliding a little closer to him. “Not really,” I whispered, “no.”

            “Then I guess I have no choice.”

            I grinned and leaned toward him from where I now sat partially in front of him. My hands pushed his shoulders back against the tree and I leaned into him, our chests touching as I practically sat in his lap. I brought a hand up and wrapped it in his hair, tugging at the surprisingly soft blue strands, pulling his head down more, smashing our lips together further.

            Unbeknownst to me, my hand decided to travel on its own, and I found it a moment later sliding down Kieron’s bare chest under his shirt, causing muscles to quiver in its wake. My hand sank lower, dipping toward Kieron’s pants, and playfully tugged at the buttons, just to see what he would do.

            He scowled at me briefly, and then swatted my hand away. I laughed quietly to myself and leaned into him, throwing my arms around his neck as our lips met again.

            If given the chance, I could really get used to this.

            I wasn’t sure what that said about me - about _us_.

 

 

_My heart raced and my skin burned as I clung to Kieron’s side, watching as blood bubbled through my fingers pressed to the gaping wound. The look in his eyes said it all - it was different. It wasn’t the same._

_It was deadly._

_“No,” I whispered, watching as his head began to loll to the side. “Hey - Hey, stay with me! Kieron!”_

_But all too soon he closed his eyes and I felt the breath die from his lips, watched as he went completely still, and knew, somehow, he wouldn’t wake again._

_Distantly I could hear immortals crying out in pain. That was all I needed to know it was the truth._

_“ ‘m sorry,” I whispered, clutching at him, “so sorry. Please wake up.”_

_But I knew, deep down, he wouldn’t wake up. Wouldn’t ever wake up. Not for me, and not for anyone, and the tears burned as they started to fall down my cheeks because this wasn’t **fair** …_

 

 

I woke later that night to find myself curled up next to a warm body, using it as my pillow. I blinked my eyes open to find my head resting in Kieron’s lap. A weight on the top of my head had me terrified for a brief moment before I realized what it was - what it had to be.

            _Does Kieron have a hand in my hair?_ I thought with a little grin. I shifted enough so that I could look up at the immortal’s face, and smiled brightly when I saw the serene expression of sleep plastered there. His head was lolled to the side, away from me, and I couldn’t help but notice how…

            _Beautiful_ , excuse me for using that word, but how _beautiful_ he was. Of course, he was an immortal. He was like a god almost, right? Therefore it made sense.

            Except it didn’t, because I’d never really noticed it before. Or, my mind argued, maybe I noticed but didn’t care to think about it. Now, though, it was hard to not think about Kieron because he seemed to _always_ be there. That wasn’t a bad thing, though. A part of me really, thoroughly enjoyed having Kieron around. Another part of me was too confused and worried about the fact I was being hunted to really give a damn one way or the other.

            Upon remembering my dream - well, a little of it, I couldn’t remember what happened, only that it had to do with Kieron and I hated it - I slowly slipped a hand under his shirt, tracing my fingers up and down his chest, stomach, and sides. He squirmed a little but then relaxed when I pulled my hand away.

            _He’s okay,_ I told myself. _Just a dream._

            Though I couldn’t remember exact details, I knew it felt real enough.

            I shifted a little and sat up, Kieron’s hand falling away to land in his lap. He shifted a little as well, but stayed asleep, expression evening out again. I smiled at him and slid toward the bag he’d brought with him. I hadn’t noticed it on him before, not until we stopped for the night. Now daylight flickered to life around us and the flames of the fire had long since died out.

            From within the bag I was happy to find a pair of clothes, because as happy as I was to see Kieron, I didn’t like seeing him all bloody. Clothes in hand, I moved back toward Kieron and lightly grabbed his shoulder, giving him a small shake.

            He came awake instantly, eyes snapping open as he sat up - forward - away from the tree he’d been leaning against all night. He groaned and shifted, popping sore joints and flexing sore muscles.

            “Here,” I said when he was done, holding out the clothes to him, “you should change.”

            He scowled at me but grabbed the clothes anyway. He tore his shirt off and slipped on the new on, and this time I didn’t even try to hid or ignore how I watched. I’d seen him naked, after all - and maybe a part of me wanted to do it again…

            Once he wore new clothes, he got to his feet and stretched further before he looked, first up at the sky, then toward the dead fire, then around the small clearing we’d managed to find.

            “We should probably get going,” he said, and then glanced toward me. “How are your feet?”

            I sighed heavily. “My feet are - wait, they’re fine.” I frowned because my didn’t hurt at all, and despite how they’d been numb last night, I was sure I’d feel the blisters now. I took my shoes off and looked down at my feet to see not a single blister in sight. “H-How?” I looked up at him.

            He shrugged. “The bond is growing,” he said somewhat quietly. “I can heal you now.”

            “Like with the ribs?”

            He scowled. “No. It’s not that far along yet, but actually a lot further along than it was then. I could only slow the bleeding but not much else. Now I can heal the blisters completely.” He shrugged.

            “The bond is growing…why? How?” I didn’t remember reaching the next stage of bonding. The first had been to cut him. “What was the next stage? Did we do it?”

            “We should get going,” he said, ignoring my question as he slung his bag over his shoulder. “Come on, human.”

            I sighed but decided to just follow after him for now. I wanted to stay as far away from the screamers as possible, as well as that hooded…demon. I really did not want to run into him again, if ever.

            So I simply followed in Kieron’s wake and ignored the way I suddenly wanted to ruffle his hair.

            I didn’t, however, manage to ignore the laugh bubbling in my throat at the thought. It escaped rather loudly, causing Kieron to give me a nasty look, but I simply shook my head. “Sorry, sorry,” I said with a smile. “Just had a really funny thought.”

            He rolled his eyes and turned away from me, leading us through the trees again.

 

 

“Kieron!”

            The voice came from the trees and Kieron and I snapped our heads up to look around, before glancing at each other. Screamers didn’t call out to us before attacking, so I was pretty sure it was safe enough to keep going.

            Except Ashere suddenly emerged from the trees then, darting toward us, eyes wide as he all but barreled into Kieron, tackling him to the ground. Kieron managed to release a breathy ‘oomph’ before he hit the ground on his back.

            “Kie,” Ashere breath, looking him over. “You’re okay. You’re okay.”

            “Well, duh,” Kieron said, shoving at him. “Get off me.”

            I wondered why he didn’t just shove Ashere away, but then remembered Ashere was a perpetual as well, and probably just as strong as Kieron.

            Ashere didn’t roll off him, but instead pinned Kieron there on the ground, eyes still wide. “I spent the last fucking _week_ thinking you were _dead_ ,” he hissed, staring down at the blue-haired immortal.

            “Why?” Kieron asked, frowning.

            I stepped toward them. “He’s fine,” I told Ashere.

            “Immortals are dying,” Ashere said like I wasn’t there, “and you were nowhere to be seen, and your parents’ house was in ruins, and I couldn’t fucking _find_ you!”

            “I’m fine,” Kieron grunted, “so will you get off me?”

            Ashere glared down at him for a moment before he finally rolled off him and sat next to him instead. Kieron sat up with a grumble, but as soon as he was sitting, Ashere suddenly grabbed him by the front of the shirt and tugged him forward.

            “What-” Kieron started, but was promptly cut off when Ashere’s lips landed on his own.

            I stared and tried to ignore the way it felt like a piece of my heart was beginning to fracture and break.


	35. Old Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashere doesn't seem very happy. Kieron is adamant he and Ashere have been over for a long time. Do you believe it? Also, hey, home.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Old Times

 

 

 

I watched as Kieron quickly shoved Ashere away and jumped to his feet, glaring. “What the fuck was that?” he snapped, staring down at the other immortal.

            Ashere sighed and looked up at him. “I know we agreed it was over, Kieron, but I thought you were fucking _dead_ , so forgive me if I’m happy you’re _alive_.” Now he, too, was glaring as he, too, got to his feet. He was just a little taller than Kieron and thus stood looking down at him.

            I swallowed and stepped forward. “What’s going on?” I asked, but Ashere looked content to ignore me while Kieron sighed and glanced at me.

            “Nothing,” he said. “It’s a long story and it’s in the past.”

            “Go on,” Ashere said, “tell him. Tell him how we-”

            Kieron’s eyes flashed and he rounded on Ashere, jabbing a finger into his chest, shoving him back somewhat. “Shut up,” he snapped. “What the fuck are you even _doing_ here?” Then he turned back to me. “Ashere and I have been friends for a long time. Centuries, even. We used to, from time to time, hook up.” He shrugged. “But that’s over.” This he directed at Ashere. “And it’s _been_ over.”

            “Over?” I asked. It didn’t look too _over_ to me, not with the way Ashere was looking at him, or the way their lips met in a heated kiss.

            And I wasn’t even sure why I cared, but I _did_ and it _hurt_.

            _It’s not like he’s yours,_ my mind told me. _He can kiss who he wants. Just because he let you kiss him doesn’t mean anything._

            That didn’t mean I liked it, though.

            Kieron nodded. “It’s been over for a century now.” Now he glanced back toward Ashere. “Do you know why perpetuals are dying? Do you know how to stop it? What do you know?”

            Ashere stared at him for a moment, then his gaze flickered toward me briefly, realization dawning in his eyes. “Oh,” he said quietly.

            “Oh?” I asked, frowning.

            “You’re with him now.” He nodded slowly, like it made sense, but I was still very confused.

            “I’m…what?”

            “We’re not _together_ ,” Kieron said with a scowl.

            I nodded quickly. “Nope.”

            _But you wish you were…don’t you?_ my mind whispered.

_Shut up. No I don’t. He’s still an asshole._

_An asshole who fucked you and you liked it._

_Shut up!_

            “You two did stage two.” This he directed toward Kieron.

            “Stage two?” I asked. “What’s stage two?” Now I, too, looked at Kieron.

            Kieron sighed heavily and shook his head, arms folded across his chest. “And what if we did?”

            Ashere watched him for a long moment before he glanced at me. “Stage two is kissing.”

            “K-Kissing?” I whispered, my gaze flickering toward Kieron briefly before I looked back at Ashere. “O-Oh. Okay.”

            “I still fail to see how it’s your business,” Kieron said. “You’re the one who made us fucking bond in the first place. Now you’re pissed at me?”

            “I’m not pissed,” Ashere snapped.

            “Sound pissed to me.”

            “Fuck you,” Ashere said.

            Kieron’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you here, Ashere?”

            “To look for _you_ , you stupid idiot! I thought you were _dead_!”

            “Why?” Kieron asked, frowning at him. “You know something I don’t.”

            It wasn’t a question. I watched as Ashere averted his gaze and couldn’t stop the stab of anger that shot through me, but Kieron expressed it before I could.

            “You know something and you’re not telling me,” he hissed, glaring at his friend. “You always fucking do this! I’m sick of all your high and mighty bullshit!”

            “It’s not like I wasn’t going to tell you!” Ashere snapped back. “You didn’t give me a chance!”

            Kieron took in a deep breath and released it slowly, giving a tight nod which clearly meant for Ashere to talk.

            Ashere took in a slow breath and nodded. “Okay, well…it seems that the closer you are to the perpetual in question, the more it hurts,” he said quietly, scrubbing a hand over his tired face. “And that last one fucking _hurt_ , so I thought…and I couldn’t find you. Jo and Rhett’s house was in ruins. No one knew where you were.”

            Kieron sighed and shook his head. “Well, it wasn’t me. And yeah, that last one _did_ hurt pretty damn bad. So, who do you think it was?”

            Ashere shrugged. “I don’t know. We have a lot of mutual friends.”

            “I wouldn’t call them friends,” Kieron said, “but yeah, I guess we do. So, who?”

            “I don’t know,” he said again. “But we’ll figure it out. In the meantime I think we should stick together.”

            I scowled because I suddenly wasn’t so sure I liked that idea.

            “What about Blaine?” Kieron asked.

            Ashere blinked. “She’s looking for you too,” he said. “She’ll join us soon.”

            Kieron shrugged. “I think it’s best if we keep our distance,” he said, and I couldn’t deny the tiny thrill that crept through me even though I wasn’t entirely sure as to why.

            Ashere and Kieron were friends; it made sense for them to hang out. It was also logical, suggesting that we all travel together, since the screamers were hunting us – me? Kieron too? – and there was more strength in numbers. It also made sense because immortals were dying and this way, at least they could keep each other safe.

            Even so, I still found I didn’t like the idea of Ashere, much less Blaine, coming with us. Blaine was a bitch, pure and simple. She hated me and I doubted that would ever change, even though I wasn’t sure why she hated me so much in the first place. Ashere seemed nice at first but the more I got to know him, the less I actually liked him…though that might have been because I kept picturing the two of them kissing, and I hated that image for some reason.

            I preferred it to be just me and Kieron, and was more than a little happy Kieron seemed to think the same, though probably for entirely different reasons.

            Ashere blinked at Kieron’s previous words. “Kieron, you know we’re stronger together.”

            Kieron shrugged. “It’s not your fight,” he said calmly. “We’re being hunted, not you. So no, I don’t think we should travel together. I think we should stay as far away from each other as possible.”

            “Kie…” Ashere murmured, and I noticed Kieron didn’t correct him. Every time I called him that, he told me not to. Why was it okay for Ashere to call him Kie, but not me?

            _You’re jealous,_ my mind said.

            _No I’m not,_ I snapped back. _It just makes no sense!_

            “Sorry, Ash, but I think it’s for the best,” Kieron said, stepping backward, toward me and away from Ashere. “No hard feelings or anything.”

            “Don’t be ridiculous,” Ashere said, “you’re not chasing me off that easily. We’re traveling together whether you like it or not.”

            Kieron opened his mouth to argue, but Ashere released a growl.

            “Don’t make me use rank against you,” he warned.

            Now Kieron snapped his mouth shut and glared at Ashere with such a heated stare even the sun would have felt its power, but Ashere just stood there calmly, staring him down.

            “Fuck you,” Kieron finally muttered. “But fine. Come with us. If you get killed, don’t come cryin’ to me ‘cause I fucking _warned_ you.”

            Ashere rolled his eyes. “Don’t be such a baby.”

            Kieron looked like he was going to rip his head off, and for a minute, I actually silently cheered him on, but the blue-haired immortal spun away from Ashere and glanced at me.

            “Let’s go,” he muttered, grabbing my arm before he again started dragging me toward the trees.

            If Ashere had something to say about it, I didn’t hear it, and I wasn’t sure I really cared.

 

 

Blaine caught up to us a few hours later. Kieron gave her a nod of greeting but said nothing, didn’t even slow down as she joined us. Instead we kept walking, though I had no idea where we were going. I didn’t really care, so long as it was far away from the screamers.

            “So, you better tell me what you know right now,” Kieron said, breaking the silence which surrounded us for a long time, “or we’re parting ways whether you like it or not, and I don’t care about your fucking rank.”

            Ashere sighed. “I don’t know as much as you think I do,” he said. “Just that there’s some kind of weapon being used to kill perpetuals. I don’t know what it is, how it was created, who is using it, who is being killed…I don’t know, okay? That’s all I know.”

            Kieron sighed and scrubbed a hand across his face, nodding slowly. “Okay,” he said, “but you better not be lying to me.”

            “I’m not.”

            “What do you know about demons?” Kieron asked as we finally stopped in a clearing. I swallowed and instantly sat down, exhausted and very thirsty. I eyed the bag Kieron had over his shoulder, wondering if he had anything to drink in there. Surely he did, right?

            “Demons?” Ashere asked, frowning as he stood next to Kieron. “Not much. They’re pretty rare and don’t like to come out of hiding that much. Plus they usually have a master.”

            “A master?” I asked.

            Ashere nodded. “Yeah. Someone who orders them around. Why do you ask, Kie?”

            Kieron shrugged. “We’ve run into one twice now. He was working with the screamers.”

            Ashere bit down on his lower lip and nodded. “So it’s safe to assume the screamers and this demon are working for the same master.”

            “Hell if I know, but sure, why not.”

            “Doesn’t sound good, Kieron.”

            “Nope,” Kieron agreed. “Why are they hunting Terry so much?”

            I stared at the use of my actual name and felt a smile forming on my face, despite the fact I tried to hide it because this was serious stuff they were talking about, and it was something I wanted answered as well.

            Ashere shrugged. “I don’t really know. I just know he’s important and needs to be protected, but I don’t know why they’re after him.” At Kieron’s look, he held his hands up defensively. “I swear, Kieron. That’s all I know.”

            Kieron shrugged and gave into a faint sigh, accepting Ashere’s words. He sat down near me, his back against a tree like before, and glanced at me briefly, before he looked away and tossed his bag toward me.

            I startled momentarily but managed to catch it, giving him a confused look.

            “I know you’re thirsty,” he sighed.

            “How?” I asked, frowning, because how could he possibly know that? If I was hungry, I could maybe understand him hearing my stomach growling, but how could he possibly know I was thirsty?

            Even so, I quickly dug through the bag and pulled out a flask of water.

            He shrugged and didn’t answer.

            Ashere, though, frowned. “You’ve bonded that much?” he asked, shocked as he looked from Kieron, to me, and back again.

            “Bonded? What does that have to do with…he can tell I’m thirsty because of the bond?” I asked, beyond confused, because knowing when someone was in danger was one thing – knowing when someone was _thirsty_ was another.

            “No,” Kieron said with a scowl. “I’m just awesome at reading people. Not to mention I can hear your tongue sticking to the roof of your mouth from here.”

            I snorted. “Doubtful,” I said.

            He shrugged. “Believe what you wanna believe, human. I’m tired.”

            He closed his eyes and that was that.

 

 

“Where are we going?” I asked quietly, following after Kieron. He seemed focused on the trees, looking this way and that, like he was searching for something, but I had no idea what it was or what it could be. He didn’t seem particularly worried so I didn’t think it was screamers or anything dangerous, but it was still making me more than a little nervous.

            “I’m just – there!” he said, darting quickly through the trees. I hurried after him, and Ashere and Blaine followed in my wake.

            Kieron stopped in a small clearing and grinned as he looked around. “What?” I asked.

            He glanced at me. “Look familiar?” he asked.

            I frowned, looked around, and shrugged. “Should it?” Trees were trees. A clearing was a clearing. It all looked the same to me, so no, I didn’t really know where we were.

            Now he scowled. “This is the entrance where you first found me,” he said.

            My eyes flew open wide as I looked around, but now that I thought about it, it actually _did_ look somewhat familiar. As I thought back on my first day here – when Kieron had thrown me through a window and taken me here, pretty much against my will but apparently for my own good – I could remember the leviathan trees and the shadows they cast. I could remember the wind tickling my skin, the scent of leaves and bark thick in the air, and a wide smile overtook my face.

            “We’re back?” I whispered quietly.

            Kieron nodded.

            “But…why?” I asked. “Did we just go in a circle?”

            Kieron shrugged. “Kind of, but it’s a little more complicated than that. Anyway, I think it’s time you went home.”

            “I don’t think that’s safe,” Ashere said.

            “What do you mean?” I asked at the same time, and both our questions seemed to get drowned out.

            Kieron blinked at us but must have understood us because he sighed and shrugged. “It’s not the safest thing in the world, but right now, I think he’s safer at home than he is here. It will take a little bit before they realize he’s gone, and by then, they’ll have to find a gateway and track him down. This will buy us some time.”

            I swallowed thickly and then nodded. “I want to go home,” I said quietly. I’d been staring to think it would never happen and I’d never see my apartment again, or my friends. My eyes widened. “Shit, they’re gonna think I was murdered or something.”

            “Who?” Ashere asked, frowning as Blaine stood behind him, quietly glaring at me.

            “My friends,” I said. “I just vanished again.”

            Ashere shrugged. “They’ll get over it.”

            I sighed. “Maybe.”

            How could I ever hope to explain any of this to them, unless I showed them Ethereal for their own eyes? I knew Kieron would never allow it, and since I was being hunted, it really wasn’t the best idea in the world. Still, though, I didn’t want to lie to them and completely leave out the part where I was in freaking _Atlantis_ and had sex with a blue-haired immortal.

            Okay. Just heard how crazy that sounds.

            Moving on.

            Kieron nodded faintly, and then gestured for me to start walking ahead of him. “The gateway isn’t far,” he said. “Keep going straight and you’ll run into it.”

            “Okay,” I sighed, trudging forward. When I heard no footsteps behind me, I turned to find Kieron and Ashere having a very heated, whispered conversation. Neither of them looked very happy. “Um…guys?” I asked, and they glanced at me. “Are you coming or what?”

            Kieron shook his head. “Ashere will go with you,” he said, shoving Ashere in my direction. He looked toward Blaine and glared at her until she sighed and followed after Ashere, apparently going with him and I despite how much I hated her, and-

            “Wait,” I said, frowning, “you’re not coming?”

            He shook his head again, faintly. “Nah – I have work to do. I do still have a job, you know, and I think I need to train for a bit.”

            “Train?”

            He shrugged. “With blades and whatnot. Just go with them, Terry.”

            I swallowed at the use of my name. “Come with us,” I said quietly, because the thought of him wandering off on his own was suddenly very worrisome and I hated it. Previously, I’d wanted to get as far away from him as possible, and if he’d given me a chance to go home and get away from him, I would have jumped at the opportunity.

            But things changed, because now I just wanted him to come with, for reasons I didn’t fully understand.

            Kieron simply shook his head and waved us forward.

            Ashere stood glaring at Kieron for a long moment, shoulders stiff, before he finally spun and started walking. Blaine followed after him but I lingered back, watching Kieron.

            “Kie,” I whispered softly, knowing my voice would carry to him, “please come.”

            He stared at me for a long moment. “I can’t,” he said quietly.

            “Why not?” I asked. “You can come – just for a little while, right?”

            He hesitated but I could see him wavering. Just a few more nudges and I’d win.

            “You don’t have to stay long,” I said, watching him as his gaze flickered toward the ground briefly before it rested on me. “Just a night or two, and then you can go to work. You said it yourself, you’re tired. Think of it as…a break. A vacation of sorts.” I grinned at him.

            He sighed and scrubbed a hand across his face, but finally gave into a faint, breathy laugh before he started walking toward me. “You win,” he said. “For once, you win, but don’t expect it to happen again, human.”

            I grinned and happily followed after him as he hurried after Ashere and Blaine.


	36. Police

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your friends called the cops on you. How... wonderful.

Chapter Thirty-Six: Police

 

 

 

In hindsight, I should have thought this through more, I belatedly realized as I looked at the crime scene tape surrounding my apartment. It was completely roped off and I knew I would not be returning to it today, maybe not ever, if I couldn’t explain my disappearance. I stared at my apartment, wishing I could go inside to at least retrieve a few of my things, but I figured the chances of that happening were slim to none.

            “Shit,” I breathed as we stood there, looking at it from the street. “Now what?” I looked at Kieron.

            Kieron shrugged. “We find somewhere else to stay,” he said. “They’ll be expecting that even less, so I guess that works in our favor.”

            “Yeah,” I breathed, shaking my head, “except that means I have a ton of explaining to do here.”

            “Quit complaining,” Blaine said with a scowl, watching me as she shoved past me, following after Kieron as he started walking away. I glared after her but sighed and went after them, not wanting to be left behind.

            Which was strange, because I could remember a time when I would have loved to be left behind at home – but right now, I found the thought suddenly disturbing. I didn’t bother thinking on it, though, because at the moment, all I wanted to do was get somewhere safe where I could eat and sleep without any interruptions, and without the hard ground beneath me.

            “Where are we going?” I asked a few minutes later, because we weren’t heading back toward the woods, but it didn’t seem like we were heading anywhere in particular, either. We kept crossing through alleys and walking down streets, seemingly without rhyme or reason.

            “You’ll see,” Kieron grunted, leading us through town. I wondered, briefly, how he knew his way around when he hated humans, but figure Brian must have done it.

            A hot anger burned deep within me at the thought of Brian, the human Kieron seemed content to call by name. I wasn’t sure where that spark of anger came from but I couldn’t deny it existed, but figured I would explore it later, when we got to where we were going.

            About ten minutes later, Kieron stopped outside of an abandoned building. It looked fairly new, probably just abandoned for remodeling, but people seemed to have stopped working on it, leaving it barren and forgotten. Kieron tore the door open and gestured for us to enter.

            We did so slowly. Before I could enter as well and move past him, Kieron grabbed my shoulder and tugged me toward him. My breath caught in my throat at our sudden proximity, but he simply leaned his head toward my ear and whispered, “We need to talk.”

            I swallowed and jerkily nodded, watching as Kieron nodded toward Ashere when the other immortal stopped and sent him a questioning look. With a sigh, Ashere disappeared into the building with Blaine following after him. Meanwhile, Kieron dragged me back outside, grip still tight on my shoulder.

            “I think you should go home,” he said quietly.

            “What?” I asked, frowning. “Why? I can’t.”

            “You should get it straightened out with the police,” he said, hesitating momentarily before he continued. “And your friends.”

            “Oh,” I breathed, nodding slowly. “Okay. How?”

            He shrugged. “You’re the human,” he said, “figure it out.”

            I rolled my eyes but nodded. “Right now?”

            “Whenever, but I do think sooner would be better than later.”

            Smiling, I nodded at him. “Okay. I will tomorrow morning. Right now I just want to relax.” After a brief moment of hesitation, I glanced into his eyes and whispered, “Are you going to relax with me?”

            He watched me for a long moment before he gave into a breathy chuckle, releasing my shoulder. “Maybe,” he said quietly, and I smiled.

            “Can I kiss you again?” I asked, watching him because he’d let me before, sure, but I knew if he didn’t want to be kissed he was more than capable of pushing me away. Still, though, I wasn’t sure I wanted to look into the face of outright rejection. I figured I’d ask first, to be polite.

            He shrugged. “If you must,” he said, but I could hear the smile in his voice even if I couldn’t really see it on his face.

            Grinning, I leaned forward until our lips met in a light touch, a mere brushing of mouths against one another, before he leaned back and sighed faintly.

            “We should get inside.”

            I sighed and nodded, following after him as he entered the building. He shut the door behind us in our wake.

 

 

I sighed heavily as I entered my apartment after a long day of explaining myself to the police. Nothing seemed to go as planned, really. I’d figured I’d only be at the police station for a few hours, but nearly an entire day had passed already. It was near midnight now, when I finally pushed open my apartment door and stepped inside. The whole area was pretty much how I left it, but with little crime scene items everywhere.

            Explaining myself had been difficult. They’d asked me where I’d been for the past month but I didn’t have much to tell them, really. I just said I went on vacation, which would explain my missing car. Where my car was, actually, I had no idea, but I assumed it was at Brian’s still.

            They’d asked why I hadn’t told anyone where I was going and never got in touch with anyone. I told them I was camping out without technology to erase worries from my mind. I was between jobs right now anyway, for the most part, so I just told them it was time I needed to think without worrying about anything. Since I was an adult, I didn’t technically have to tell anyone anything.

            When they asked about the state of my apartment – and I assumed they meant the blood and torn up furniture – I just said my friend came over with his dog and we were training it and the dog bit him but he was fine now. Since they couldn’t refute anything – and I’d tried to clean up the blood as much as I could, and it was really only on the carpet in my room – they had to let me go without further questions, and released my apartment to me. When asked about my friends, I told the police I’d talk to them as soon as I could, but I really just wanted to go home right now. They finally consented and let me go.

            That was where I now found myself. As far as I knew, Kieron, Ashere and Blaine were still in that building. I hadn’t been able to go back there because I was so tired and the police had already driven me here, asking about my car, but I just told them I left it at a friend’s out in the country and that’d I’d be sure to get it later.

            Unable to argue with me – I was an adult, I didn’t have to answer to my friends, after all – they just sighed and let me go.

            Now I stomped through the crime scene tape and items and stalked down the hallway toward my room, too tired to deal with anything right now.

            I pushed my door open, flipped on my lights, and startled when I saw Kieron sitting on my bed. “Hey,” I said quietly, shutting my door behind me as I looked around. “Where are the others?”

            He shrugged. “Searching the area,” he replied. “Making sure it’s safe. It’s usually my job, but whatever.”

            “What, you’d rather be out there?” I asked, sitting next to him on the bed.

            He watched me for a moment. “I don’t know if I’d say that, it’s just strange, that’s all. Ash actually _offered_ to go look around.” Now he paused thoughtfully. “Though I think Blaine talked him into it. She suggested I come here to make sure it’s safe.”

            I nodded. “So is that why you’re here?”

            “Sure,” he said, “why else?”

            I shrugged. “No reason, really.” A pause. Now that my exhaustion was forgotten – how could I sleep with Kieron here? Suddenly there was so much to do! – I suddenly realized how hungry I was. I hadn’t really eaten all day and now my stomach growled loudly.

            Kieron chuckled and got to his feet. “Someone’s hungry.”

            I scowled at him. “Shut up, I haven’t really eaten today. Want to split a pizza?”

            He blinked at me. “Sure…why not.”

            I grinned and left the room in search of the phone. A minute later I returned after relaying my address to the pizza place. “Should be about twenty minutes,” I said as I sat on the bed again.

            He grunted in acknowledgement from where he stood looking out my window. It’d been fixed since I left, then. Maybe John fixed it, or Rufus, or maybe even the police, I didn’t know. I just knew it was fixed and Kieron was currently staring out it like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

            “Kieron?” I asked quietly, biting down on my lower lip, because I wasn’t sure how to phrase this, really.

            “Hmm?” He stepped away from the window, dropping the curtains as he did so.

            I shifted my gaze toward the ground as I took in a slow breath. “Am I…important…to you?” I asked, unsure as to how to really phrase it, but that was the extent of what I wanted answered, yeah.

            It was something I’d been wondering about off and on. He’d said it wasn’t because it _didn’t_ mean anything, after all. That meant it meant something to him, even if he wouldn’t fully admit it. He’d also assured me I was important enough to be saved – right?

            Nothing was spoken for a long moment. I felt his gaze on me, though – watching me, waiting, but I didn’t look up from where I stared at the ground. Silence wrapped around us, a little tense – at least for me, because I didn’t want to look up to see how he’d react to the question – but otherwise short-lived, because Kieron finally released a long, heavy sigh.

            “Why does it matter so much?” he asked.

            I swallowed. “It just does.”

            “Why?”

            “It matters to me,” I said quietly, glancing up to focus my gaze on him. Dark blue eyes latched onto my own. “I just…need…to know.”

            “Does it really matter?”

            “Yes,” I said, narrowing my eyes at his hesitance. “It shouldn’t be that hard to answer, Kieron – it’s a simple yes or no question, that’s it.”

            He rolled his eyes. “Nothing is _ever_ a yes or no question with you,” he sighed, shaking his head, but he finally approached the bed and stopped in front of me. “I don’t know what you want me to say, human.”

            I swallowed. “I want you to say…” Except suddenly I wasn’t so sure. I wanted the answer to be yes, but I couldn’t wish for him to say that if he didn’t feel that way, right? That didn’t really work. If I was important to him, was that a good thing, or just more dangerous? I honestly didn’t know, and I wasn’t sure if I cared either way, but I really wanted an answer, and I intended to get one.

            So I watched him for a long moment, before he sighed and shrugged, scrubbing a hand across his face. “It’s not that you’re _not_ important,” he finally muttered, and walked past me, out of the room.

            I chased after him and startled when he answered my door and grabbed the pizza from the delivery boy’s hands. Quickly, I ran to the kitchen and collected the money – thank God for my savings! – before giving it to the guy and shutting my door in his wake.

            Had that much time passed already? Twenty minutes? Time flew, then. I followed Kieron into the kitchen where I pulled out some paper plates. “What do you want to drink?” I asked, turning to find him with half a slice of pizza hanging out of his mouth. He blinked at me and swallowed it down as I laughed.

            “Whatever is fine,” he said, finishing off that slice of pizza.

            I grinned and tossed him a water bottle. It was pretty much all I had that was still good in my refrigerator, I realized. I was used to having water, juice, soda, and milk in my fridge but everything was bad at the moment since I’d been gone for so long.

            He caught the water bottle, twisted the cap open, and swallowed down a few long gulps before he sat at the table and pulled out another slice of pizza, ignoring the plate I put in front of him. I scowled at him and slapped his hand away from the box.

            “Use your plate,” I said when he looked at me.

            He scowled but put two slices on his plate and pulled away from the box. I smiled in satisfaction and pulled out two slices for myself, putting them on my plate as I sat back to enjoy my food.

            A few minutes later we were done eating, all but one slice of the pizza gone. I sat back in my chair, full and tired. It had been a long day after all. Kieron must have noticed my tiredness because he rose to his feet.

            “I should go,” he said.

            “No,” I said quickly, “you can stay.”

            A part of me wanted him to stay – it really did, and I didn’t bother questioning it because he was pretty decent so far, right? Sure, in the beginning he’d been a real ass but lately he’d been okay, which left me certain there was a part of him I didn’t know.

            But I wanted to get to know that side, too.

            “It’s okay,” he said, watching me. “I’m sure Ashere and Blaine are done scouting.”

            I sighed and nodded. As much as I wanted him to stay, I knew he had to get back to the others and I didn’t really want Blaine anywhere near my apartment…or Ashere, for that matter. I didn’t want him here either.

            “You should be safe for the time being,” he said. “But we’ll go on another walk again later, just to be sure.”

            “Oh. Okay.” I paused. “Are you gonna stop by later?”

            Now he paused, watching me momentarily. “Do you want me to?”

            Shyly, I nodded, and he smirked.

            “Then okay, I’ll see what I can do.”

            I nodded and bid him farewell as he opened my door to leave the apartment.

            He didn’t get very far though, as his yelp flooded the air and my skin itched and burned so much I even groaned. Quickly, I jumped to my feet and entered the living room to find Kieron twitching on the floor.

            Standing over him was John, taser in hand.


	37. A Friend's Concern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tasers aren't fun. Neither are arguments.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: A Friend’s Concern

 

 

 

After a long moment of staring at my best friend standing over the twitching form of the immortal, I managed to snap out of my trance and lunge forward, capturing everyone’s attention. “Kie!” I hissed, because my skin itched and burned just as his fingers twitched somewhat from the jerk of the electricity. As I crashed to my knees next to him, I heard John stagger forward and release a gasp.

            “Terry?” he asked incredulously, and I glanced up to find him staring down at me from where he stood above us.

            “Why did you do that?” I hissed, and looked back down at Kieron. Lightly, I gripped his shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief when his eyes fluttered open and focused on me, and the pins and needles feeling shooting through my body began to disperse. “Kie, you okay?”

            He scowled. “ ‘m fine,” he said, and then glared at John. Swallowing thickly, I noticed the darkening of his eyes and knew a fight was about to start, so I quickly shoved him back down as he tried to sit up, and focused my attention on John, who stared at me, slack-jawed.

            “Why did you do that?” I asked again, eying his taser. “Where did you even _get_ that?”

            “Terry?” he asked again, blinking at me. “Is it really you?”

            “Well, yeah,” I said, scowling. “Who else would it be?”

            John released a breathy laugh and dropped the taser to the ground, watching me with wide eyes. “You’ve been missing for over a month,” he said quietly, and I flinched. “I called the police and they couldn’t find you. You just fucking vanished _again_.”

            “I’m sorry,” I murmured as I got to my feet. Kieron sat up but thankfully didn’t look like he was going to attack John. “I didn’t mean to disappear again.”

            Honestly, I never planned on leaving again, but with the screamers closing in, I hadn’t really had much of a choice. I’d wondered what people would think with my disappearance, but hadn’t thought they’d call the freaking _cops_ , or barge into my apartment with a damn _taser_ and shock my…

            My what? My immortal? No, that wasn’t right. My friend? Somehow that didn’t seem right either. What was Kieron to me, exactly?

            “Who is this?” John asked, eyes narrowed as he looked at Kieron, who now stood next to me.

            “That’s Kieron,” I said. “Kieron, John. John, Kieron. Now apologize for tasing him.”

            John scowled. “Sorry, but how was I supposed to know he wasn’t an intruder or something?”

            “Why would you think…?” I asked, frowning at him.

            “Well, I don’t know!” he snapped. “Maybe because you fucking _vanished_ and suddenly lights are on in your fucking apartment after a damn _month_! So, yeah, I thought someone broke in or something, and then this guy comes out and I’ve never seen him before!”

            I swallowed. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, because I really was. I hadn’t meant for anyone to worry about me. I hadn’t thought of how it might have seemed to him. “But I’m back now, okay?”

            “Where’d you go? Did _he_ keep you away? Did he kidnap you?” Now John glared accusingly at Kieron.

            I heard the low growl scratch through Kieron’s throat. “Kie had nothing to do with it. Right, Kie?” I glanced at him and glared, even as he scowled and shrugged. I looked back at John. “I went, um…willingly.”

            “Where?”

            “Just around.”

            “Then where did he come from?”

            “Kieron is…a friend,” I said, for lack of a better title, because I really didn’t know what to call him in regards to myself. What was he to me? Nothing seemed to fit. “He’s new.”

            “New?”

            “Um…he’s from out of town,” I said. “And I’m fine, you didn’t have to call the cops.”

            “Well how was I supposed to know! You didn’t bother to fucking tell me anything! Or your brother for that matter, or Rufus! We thought you were dead or something!”

            I winced. “Sorry,” I said quietly, watching him even as Kieron shifted next to me.

            “I should go,” he said, and John quickly nodded while I shook my head.

            “It’s okay,” I said, glancing at the blue-haired immortal – although I knew, to John, his hair looked different…brown, maybe? Black? I didn’t know. “You can stay. Right, John?”

            John glared at Kieron and didn’t reply.

            “Stay,” I said, watching Kieron, because I really didn’t want him to leave. It was much easier to lie to John when Kieron was there, even though I really didn’t want to lie to my best friend. Of course, I didn’t really have a choice. It was either lie or be locked up somewhere for saying I went to Atlantis with a blue-haired immortal.

            Nope. Not even trying it.

            Kieron watched me momentarily before he shrugged to himself and stayed standing next to me. I smiled a little and looked back toward John, who glared at Kieron.

            “I’m sorry for vanishing,” I said quietly, dragging his attention back to me. “I just, um…was stressed. Had some stuff to work out. Didn’t think I’d be gone that long.”

            John watched me for a long moment before he sighed heavily. “Okay, don’t tell me where you were – fine. But don’t lie to me.”

            “I’m not,” I protested, but it sounded weak even to my own ears. Next to me, I heard Kieron struggle to stifle a snort, but it didn’t work very well. I fought the urge to elbow him in the ribs because I knew that wouldn’t go over very well. He’d probably retaliate – and he was stronger than me.

            “You are,” John snapped, “and I bet it has something to do with _him_.” He glared at Kieron. “I know you, Terry – you don’t just disappear for a damn _month_ for no damn reason! You’re not that careless!”

            I swallowed and glanced helplessly at Kieron, because I didn’t know what to say, or what to do. I didn’t want to lie to John, especially since he already knew I was lying. But I couldn’t tell him the truth, either.

            Kieron sighed and stepped forward somewhat. “Terry was in an accident,” he said, and I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face at the use of my name.

            “Accident?” Confusion crossed not only John’s face, but mine as well.

            Kieron gave a slow nod. “Mm, yes, a car accident. It wasn’t bad, obviously, but he was stranded at my place for a while.”

            “Your place?” John eyed him dubiously.

            The immortal shrugged. “I live in the country – bad cell reception.”

            Dear God, he knew about cell phones! Would wonders never cease?

            “The hospital.”

            “He didn’t go to the hospital,” Kieron said. “I know first aid, I patched him up.”

            “You mean you wouldn’t take him to the damn hospital after he was in an accident?” John looked at me, raking his eyes up and down my body, and I felt more than a little self-conscious. “Is that how you got so beat up?”

            “Beat up?” I echoed, frowning. I wasn’t beaten up – was I? I didn’t feel like it. Besides the itch where the stiches were, I felt great – just tired, but it had been a long day. A long few days, actually.

            “You’re pale and there’s a bruise on your face.”

            I shrugged because I hadn’t noticed. “Nah, I’m fine. And I didn’t want to go to the hospital, so don’t blame Kieron.”

            John sighed and shook his head. “You could have called.”

            “I didn’t want to worry you, and I needed time away – like I said, I was stressed.”

            “About what?” John asked.

            I shrugged. “Stuff. Rufus and the whole ‘surprise’ bit.” I was still sore about that, I’m not afraid to admit. I could still remember the terror which had coursed through me, and then the betrayal when I realized it was him all along. “And, you know, just…stuff.”

            “Rufus has been worried,” John said. “So has your brother.”

            “I’ll talk to them,” I promised. “Right now…I’m really tired.”

            John hesitated but then nodded. “Right, okay. Yeah. I’ll just…go then.” He eyed Kieron as he bent down and picked up his taser.

            “Kie’s gonna stay here,” I said, and nudged Kieron in the ribs, causing him to give into a quiet growl, “aren’t ya, Kie?”

            “I don’t-”

            “Sure you do,” I said. “You must be _tired_ from driving me all the way back here and getting me pizza – right?”

            He looked confused but eventually just sighed and nodded. “Yeah. Sure.”

            John shook his head and then narrowed his eyes at me. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about our little deal.”

            “Deal?” I echoed, frowning.

            “You’re my slave for a week.”

            “What? But-”

            “You owe me,” John snapped. “You missed my birthday and had me worried for a damn _month_ , so yeah, you fucking _owe_ me.”

            I swallowed at the tone of his voice and couldn’t stop the nod which rocked my head. I did owe him. I owed him an apology, an explanation, and much more…so how could I say no?

            “Okay,” I whispered. “I, um…okay. Just…”

            “I’ll come to collect later,” he said, and then turned to leave the apartment, but stopped in the doorway before turning back to face me. “Glad you’re okay, Terry.”

            I smiled. “Thanks, John – I’ll talk to you later, okay? Thanks for stopping by.”

            He snorted and then walked out of the apartment, shutting the door behind him with a quiet snap.

            I breathed out a sigh and looked at Kieron. “Sorry about that,” I murmured. “Are you okay?”

            He eyed me tiredly. “Been a while since I was electrocuted,” he mused, and then shrugged. “But yeah, I’m fine. Kind of hard to beat a sword through your back and stomach.”

            I winced at the reminder. “I’m sorry.”

            “ ‘s fine,” he sighed. “But I really should be going.”

            I shook my head and grabbed his arm as he walked by me, heading toward the door. He stopped and turned to face me. “Stay,” I told him.

            “Why?”

            “Because, I…what if the screamers come?”

            “You’ll be fine,” he told me. “Ash and Blaine are out scouting, and I will be too. You’re safe enough for now.” He shrugged my grip off of him.

            “But…”

            “What?”

            I bit down on my lower lip, because I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know how to explain it to him – I didn’t know how to tell him I didn’t want him to go. Lately I actually liked his presence – even if he was an asshole. I felt like I was starting to break down his wall, and he was starting to let me in, and I actually liked that. I’d grown used to his presence and I-

            “You let me stay with you,” I said, “so you can stay with me. It’s only fair.”

            A faint smirk twitched to life on his lips. “Human, you don’t owe me anything.”

            “I know…but I think you should stay.”

            “Why?”

            “Because,” I said quietly, “I’m offering food and shelter for you, and a bed, and clothes, and it’d be rude for you to refuse, right?”

            He watched me for a long moment, and I worried if I’d gone too far. I’d been joking – pretty much – but still…what if he didn’t know that? It wasn’t like he really cared about being rude, after all.

            But then he released a laugh – and honest-to-God _laugh_ – and smirked at me. “Alright, human,” he said, “you win. But only because I plan on taking advantage of your hot water.”

            I barked out a laugh. “So you’re using me for my shower?”

            “Mm,” he said with a brief nod. “And you did promise me a bed, am I right?”

            “I did,” I said, grinning, and then paused when I saw him stretching his arms, wincing somewhat as that itchiness shot through me again. “Sorry again…about John.”

            “It’s fine,” he said with a shrug. “Like I said, it has nothing on that sword.” He cracked a faint smile despite the fact I hated it when he mentioned that stabbing.

            “Still, though…sorry.”

            “It’s not like you asked him to shock me – right?”

            “Of course not!”

            “Then don’t worry about it,” he said, waving off my concern.

            I stepped toward him. “Does it hurt?”

            “Getting shocked? Kinda, yeah.”

            “No,” I said, scowling. “Does it still hurt?”

            “Not really – just stiff.”

            I nodded and bit down on my lower lip. “Thanks for, um…”

            “Lying?” he prompted.

            Ashamed, I bowed my head and nodded. I lied to my best friend – not only that, but I had Kieron lie for me as well. “Yeah…sorry about that…”

            “It’s fine. You’re a horrible liar anyway.”

            I scowled at him even as the smirk spread across his lips. Lips I suddenly wanted to crush with my own, and so I leaned forward and pressed our mouths together in a slow, mild kiss which I enjoyed a lot more than I should have – there wasn’t even any tongue involved, for crying out loud!

            But as we pulled apart, I couldn’t keep the wide smile from my face. Kieron chuckled at me.

            “Had I know it was this easy to shut you up,” he said, but there was no heat in his voice, “I would have done this ages ago.”

            I grinned at him. “Well, now you know,” I said.

            “Indeed I do.” Then he paused and glanced toward my hallway. “I’m gonna shower, human. Sore and all.”

            I nodded. “Okay – I’m probably, um…gonna go to sleep,” I said quietly, eying him. “In my bed.”

            He nodded. “Yeah, I kinda figured.”

            I swallowed and waited but he didn’t mention anything about going with me when he was done with his shower, and I didn’t want to push my luck – and I really was tired – I just nodded at him and walked down the hallway, toward my bedroom.

            His footsteps followed me as far as the bathroom, and then disappeared as the door snapped shut.

 

 

I woke a few hours later to the sound of voices in the hallway. At first I was startled, but then recognized one of the voices as Kieron’s, and got to my feet. I snuck toward my door and opened it somewhat, peering down the hallway toward where Kieron and Ashere stood in the entryway to the hallway, still standing in the living room but only just.

            Kieron looked mildly annoyed while Ashere frowned at him. “How should I know?” Kieron was asking with an irritated huff. “It’s different for everyone!”

            “No it’s not,” Ashere snapped, glaring at him. “You-”

            At this point, Kieron looked back and caught my gaze, effectively cutting Ashere off. The other immortal looked back toward me as well, swallowing thickly, looking just like a kid who got his hand caught in a cookie jar. I wondered why, but suddenly didn’t want to think about it…because a part of me was sure I wouldn’t like it.

            “Terry,” Kieron greeted as I walked out of my room and joined them in the living room. Blaine was nowhere to be seen, thankfully, because Ashere was bad enough – dealing with her would give me a giant headache I didn’t need.

            “Hey,” I said back, frowning at the two of them. “What’s going on?”

            My sense of time was off, but I was pretty sure it was about three or four in the morning – so what could they possibly be talking about? Then again, I mused, Kieron used to only have us travel at night, so maybe it wasn’t that ridiculous.

            “Nothing,” Ashere said.

            Kieron tossed him a glare. “Ashere is being a whiney little bitch even though it was his plan in the first place.”

            “What?” I asked, watching them.

            “The bond,” Kieron said with a shrug. “It wasn’t my fucking idea but suddenly I’m being yelled at for it.” Now he glared at Ashere. “But he can get over it – right, Ashere?”

            Ashere silently glowered at him and I unconsciously took a step back because I was sure I’d seen that look before – anger, annoyance, something else… - and I didn’t want to think about what it meant, not really.

            “You didn’t tell me,” Ashere finally accused, looking at Kieron.

            “I wasn’t aware it was any of your business,” Kieron replied.

            I scrubbed a hand over my face. “What didn’t he tell you?” I asked, watching Ashere, confused.

            “That we fucked,” Kieron replied nonchalantly, shrugging as though it were no big deal. I stiffened and felt my mouth go dry.

            “O-Oh,” I stammered, swallowing thickly because suddenly the thought of Ashere knowing sent chills down my spine. Why I worried about it, though, I didn’t know because it wasn’t like no one knew who I fucked or anything – but the thought of him now knowing…I just didn’t know what to think.

            What if Kieron closed himself off because Ashere now knew? I didn’t want to think about it.

            “What does that, um…h-have to do with the bond?” I whispered.

            Ashere glared at me. “It’s the third stage,” he said like it should have been obvious.

            “Third stage?” I repeated blankly, and then snapped my gaze toward Kieron. “We did stage three and you didn’t tell me?! What if I didn’t want stage three?”

            Now Kieron glared at me, eyes flashing. “You got what you fucking wanted,” he snapped.

            “You didn’t tell me it was stage-”

            Kieron growled. “Yeah, well, it’s kind of hard to fucking tell you anything when you’re busy shoving me into a damn _lake_!”

            “You had time to-”

            “Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t – but you got what you fucking wanted,” he hissed, glaring. “So don’t try to blame this all on me. I know I’m such a _horrible_ Etherian to get stuck with, but you’re not a ray of fucking sunshine either!”

            Then he turned on his heel and stormed out of the apartment – just walked out the door and slammed it shut in his wake, and he was gone.

            I stood staring at the door for a long moment, swallowing thickly. I wasn’t even sure why I got so mad – he was right, I got what I wanted. I wanted him to fuck me and he did. I should have figured fucking might have been a stage to the bond, but I knew so little about the bond I didn’t know what to think. After all, the first stage had been to _cut_ him – and stage two had been to kiss…

            Why did it matter? Suddenly I didn’t know. Was being bonded to him such a bad thing? I was used to his company now. If it vanished, I wasn’t sure what I’d do, and I couldn’t stop the chill which crept through me at the thought. I may not have asked for any of this, but the bond was mine for the taking – and his as well. It tethered us together in such a way I doubted I’d ever understand, and I wondered if Kieron understood it either.

            Instead of trying to understand him, I just chased him out of the apartment…

            I spun to face Ashere. “I didn’t mean to make him mad,” I told him quietly.

            Ashere scrubbed a hand over his face. “He’s just like that. He’ll be fine in a bit.”

            I nodded slowly. “I didn’t know it was a stage…”

            His expression darkened as he gave into a tight nod. “Yeah. I know.”

            “You, um…you’re close to him, huh?”

            “We’ve been friends for centuries,” he intoned, watching me, “so what do you think?”

            “Sorry – I didn’t mean it like that.” The last thing I wanted to do was offend him. “I just…”

            “Yeah – we fucked a few times,” he said, eyes narrowed as he watched me.

            I flinched despite the fact I already knew this about them. Kieron told me as much, he just didn’t use that kind of wording and he didn’t glare at me like Ashere was right now…like I was the enemy or something, but that was ridiculous.

            “But you two are…”

            “Over,” he said, but it sounded too quick for me to really believe it. “We’re over. Have been for a while now.”

            I sighed and nodded, unsure as to what else I was supposed to do.

            “I think I should go look for Kieron,” he said, and started toward the door.

            “I’ll come with you,” I said, “just let me get my shoes.”

            “No, stay here.”

            I frowned at him. “Why?”

            “Just stay here,” he said, a little sharper this time. “It’s safer here.”

            I was pretty sure that wasn’t why he wanted me to stay here, but I nodded just the same because I really didn’t want to argue. Besides, I’d already made Kieron angry enough – maybe Ashere could calm him down and-

            _Yeah,_ my mind whispered, _let Ashere calm him down and fuck him while he’s at it. Because that is the best stress relief out there._

_Shut the fuck up._

            “I’ll go too,” I insisted, watching him. “We do share a _bond_ after all.”

            Ashere’s eyes flashed but he gave a taut nod just the same. “Fine,” he said, “then let’s go.”


	38. Full House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kieron meets Rufus. Also, Ashere is here.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Full House

 

 

 

Finding Kieron wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it’d be, but that was probably because I had Ashere with me, a perpetual following after another perpetual, not to mention they were friends. When we finally found the blue-haired immortal, he was halfway across town, walking down the sidewalk, peering around through the shadows.

            He scowled when Ashere and I approached him. “What?” he asked.

            “I’m sorry,” I said quickly, before Ashere or Kieron could talk and interrupt me, “I shouldn’t have gotten angry. You’re right. I got what I wanted.”

            Kieron watched me for a long moment before he glanced toward Ashere. “Okay – what’s your excuse?”

            Ashere shrugged. “Not safe out here alone.”

            Kieron rolled his eyes. “You seem to forget I’m lower than you.”

            “What does that have to do with…?” I couldn’t help but asked as I glanced between the two of them, confused. Kieron glanced back toward me.

            “Ashere’s higher up, so he doesn’t have to fight. Therefore I could whoop his ass,” Kieron said with a faint smile as he looked back toward Ashere. Ashere scowled at him in response. “So, I think if you can go out on your own, I can too.”

            “We should be heading back,” Ashere said. “It’s late and Terry’s tired.”

            What did that have to do with anything? I shot a glare at the back of Ashere’s head as he walked away from us, heading back in the direction of my apartment. I sighed and looked at Kieron.

            “You have no idea how grouchy he’s been,” I muttered, and at this, Kieron barked out a quick laugh.

            “Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea,” he said, smirking, and I couldn’t help but laugh as well.

            “Yeah – I guess so.” A pause. “So…are you coming?”

            Indecision crossed his face momentarily, but as I grabbed his arm and started tugging him after Ashere anyway, I was pleased to find he did not argue or fight with me – instead, he just let me lead him down the street.

            A few minutes later Ashere broke away from us and disappeared down a dark alley after telling Kieron he was going to scout around some more, but I wasn’t sure what else there was to scout…of course I didn’t argue, because I found I was liking the guy less and less. I was happy to watch him leave.

            “Sorry about before,” I said, glancing briefly at the immortal walking next to me. Not leading me, I realized, and not behind me, but next to me…like we were equals. The thought made me smile.

            “It’s fine.”

            “No,” I sighed, shaking my head, “it’s not. I shouldn’t have snapped at you – you’re right, I did get what I wanted. I don’t know why I got so mad. I just…I’m not used to having a bond.”

            “And what? You think I am?”

            I sighed. “Right. New for both of us then. Did you know sex was…”

            “The third stage?” he finished for me, and at my nod, he sighed and shook his head. “Not really. I knew it might have been something like that, but I figured it wouldn’t work because…”

            Now he trailed off and I watched him as he looked down at the ground momentarily. “What?” I asked. “Because what?”

            Instead of answering, he sped up. “We should hurry, human.”

            I wanted to argue, but honestly I was so damn tired from being awake all day, going to the police station, getting woken after only a few hours of sleep, and then going for this long walk across town in search of Kieron. Sleep sounded amazing right now, and while I wanted to know what Kieron was talking about, a much larger part of me begged me to return home and curl into the warm covers of my bed.

            As we walked, though, a thought kept nagging at me and wouldn’t leave me alone despite how much I tried to shrug it off. Hesitating, I glanced at Kieron. A moment later he felt my gaze on him and looked toward me as well, and our eyes met.

            For a short moment, nothing was spoken. Then I drew in a breath. “Would you have still…fucked me if you knew it was stage three?” I asked, because I wasn’t even sure of myself right now. Would I have done that with him if I knew it was another stage in the bonding process? I really didn’t know the answer to that question.

            Being bonded to him wasn’t so bad – except for the annoying bursts of itchiness, but I was slowly growing used to that as well. Not to mention the closer we got to each other, the more he could for me – healing wise, of course. He’d saved my life a few times already.

            So no, being tied to him wasn’t the worst thing that could happen, but I still knew next to nothing about bonding with someone. All I knew was the first stage was cutting each other, the second was kissing each other, and the third was apparently fucking each other.

            I was sure there was a common factor in there somewhere but I was far too tired to worry about it right now.

            Instead, as I pushed open the door to my apartment, I all but staggered to my bedroom. It was only when something tugged away from me that I realized I’d been holding onto Kieron’s arm the whole time and led him down the hallway into my bedroom as well. Now I sat on the bed and watched him as he sighed and glanced toward the bedroom door, which hung open.

            He still hadn’t answer me, though. Perhaps I’d been too lost in my thoughts to hear his answer, or maybe he didn’t bother responding at all. Suddenly uncertain, I bit on my bottom lip, frowning as I watched him pace near the door, like he wasn’t sure where he should go.

            He was probably tired too – it had been a long day for him as well, and he hadn’t gotten a few hours of sleep like I had. I scooted over and patted the spot on the bed next to me. He eyed me like I was crazy and I couldn’t stop the laugh which bubbled out of my throat.

            “The bed is big enough for two,” I said. “As much as I know you love that couch…the bed is better. No competition there.”

            A faint smirk twitched to life on his lips even as he slowly shook his head. “I’ll be fine on the couch.”

            “Just come to bed,” I said, and then felt my cheeks burn because that sounded far too domestic. Kieron was anything but domestic, after all – or even really _intimate_. “C’mon, Kie – we’ll just go to sleep.”

            He scrubbed a hand over his face and then nodded. “I guess it _is_ closer,” he conceded as he stepped toward the bed. He pulled the covers back and lay down, covering himself up afterward, head held in his pillow. I smiled and did the same, sliding in next to him under the covers, and I choked back the laugh at the thought.

            Both of us in the same bed, awkwardly laying on our own sides. My muscles felt tense as I tried to stay on my side and not roll toward him at all, and with the lack of movement, I figured he was doing the same.

            I took in a breath and released it slowly. “Night, Kie,” I whispered, allowing my heavy eyelids to finally fall shut.

            “Night, human,” came the quiet response.

            And then I was out.

 

 

I woke the next morning – same morning? Around eight? – to the sound of someone knocking relentlessly on my door, and growled to myself as I crawled out of bed and ran down the hallway to answer it. I nearly tripped over my own feet in my rush, but finally I pulled the door open and stared when I found Rufus looking back at me.

            “Terry,” he said slowly, looking me up and down, a smile spreading across his face. “It’s good to see you.”

            I swallowed and nodded. “Yeah,” I said, “you too.”

            And really, it was. Ignoring the whole ‘surprise sex’ part, he wasn’t so bad and I’d known him for a while, so yes…I missed him somewhat, and technically we were still doing that whole ‘hook-up’ meets and everything, though suddenly those didn’t sound too appealing…

            Suddenly I was all too aware Kieron was still asleep in my room…in my bed…

            “Can I come in?” Rufus asked.

            I could only nod and step aside to allow him entrance. After my disappearance, I couldn’t just say no, right? I shut the door behind him and joined him as he sat on my couch, which had seen better days. It was still pretty cut up from that screamer – luckily, though, it did look like it could have just been an angry dog or something. I’d tried to clean things up as best I could before we’d returned to Atlantis before.

            “Where have you been?” Rufus asked after a brief moment of silence.

            “Just around,” I said. “Sorry for vanishing like that. I didn’t mean to worry anyone.”

            I was still a little surprised they’d actually worried enough to call the police. Maybe I wasn’t just a bottom after all…

            “I didn’t mean to worry you. I’m fine, though, okay? And I’ll try not to vanish like that again…”

            I really would try. It was likely I would vanish again, but this time I’d try to let them know ahead of time that I would be gone for a while so they didn’t call the police on me again. I was an adult – I could disappear for a bit if I wanted, right?

            Rufus nodded and faced me, looking me over. “John said something about a car accident?”

            “You talked to John?”

            He nodded and I sighed.

            “Um…yeah. But I’m fine.”

            I startled when there was a knock at my door again, and stood to open the door but stopped when it swung open on its own, revealing Ashere as he stepped into the apartment. He blinked as he saw us, and then looked around.

            “Where’s Kieron?” he asked.

            “Kieron?” Rufus asked. “And who’s this?”

            I sighed heavily. “Ashere, Rufus. Rufus, Ashere. And Kieron’s still sleeping.”

            “You have someone here?” Rufus asked, looking at me.

            “Um…”

            What was I supposed to say? It wasn’t like we were exclusive. It wasn’t like we were really even together – we just fucked occasionally, that was it. I owed him nothing and he didn’t really owe me anything, and I knew he slept around too, so it was fine that I had someone here, right? Plus, Kieron and I hadn’t even done anything last night…

            “I’ll get him,” Ashere said, and started off down my hallway like he owned the place. Glaring, I rushed ahead of him and cut him off.

            “No, I’ll get him,” I said, glaring at him until he shrugged and left the hallway, entering the living room again.

I spun and entered my bedroom, quietly closing the door behind me. I couldn’t deny the sense of calm that settled over me as I took in Kieron’s peaceful slumber, his face slack and expression serene in sleep. I approached the bed and lightly grabbed his shoulder, giving him a slight shake.

“Kie,” I called, “time to wake up.”

His eyes slowly fluttered open and focused on me. “Human?” he asked through a wide yawn, and I nodded, stepping back somewhat as he sat up.

“Ashere’s here,” I said, and bit down on my lip. “So is Rufus.”

“Rufus?” He paused thoughtfully and then nodded. “Right. A friend of yours.”

I nodded. “Uh, yeah…”

            I didn’t know what to say. Should I tell him Rufus wasn’t really just a friend? Then again, it wasn’t like I didn’t occasionally hook up with my friends. I hooked up with John from time to time but it wasn’t on a regular basis, while it was with Rufus. So, I wasn’t entirely sure what Rufus was to me, either.

            He scrubbed a hand over his face and nodded, getting to his feet. “Okay. I’ll get out of your hair.”

            “You don’t have to go,” I murmured.

            He eyed me momentarily and then shrugged, walking out of my room. I sighed and followed after him.

            We entered the living room to find Ashere and Rufus practically glaring at each other, though I wasn’t sure why. Then again I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. Rufus glanced at Kieron as the blue-haired immortal lightly touched Ashere on the shoulder, causing the other immortal to glance at him.

            I couldn’t stop the scowl which crossed my face when I saw Ashere’s expression brighten somewhat. “Kieron,” he said. “Did you sleep well?”

            Kieron shrugged. “Sure. Where’s Blaine?”

            “She is busy looking around,” Ashere said after a quick look at Rufus. Rufus appeared confused but thankfully didn’t say anything. Ashere then glanced at me. “We should be going.”

            Kieron nodded even as I sighed.

            Rufus, meanwhile, eyed Kieron up and down, and the look that crossed his face had me feeling more than a little uneasy. I’d seen that look on his face before, after all.

            As Kieron and Ashere walked by me heading toward the door, I sighed and grabbed Kieron’s arm, stopping him momentarily. He frowned at me, blue eyes scanning over my face carefully.

            “Um…bye, Kie,” I said, because I couldn’t ask him to stay. Rufus would ask too many questions and I really didn’t want to have Ashere glaring at me again, or inviting himself to stay as well.

            Kieron scowled at the name but didn’t correct me. “Yeah…see you later…Terry.”

            The hesitation had me sure he’d been about to say ‘human’ but corrected himself just in time. I smiled at him and nodded, then released his arm and watched as he followed Ashere out of the apartment. The door closed behind them and I sighed, glancing back toward Rufus.

            “You’re fucking him, aren’t you.”

            The sudden words – as a statement no less – had me nearly choking on my breath as I coughed and stared at him. “W-What? What makes you say that?” I asked, because he couldn’t know.

            Unless Ashere let it slip, but that didn’t really seem like him. Then again, he seemed a lot different than when I first met him, and the more I got to know him, the less I liked him.

            “You are.”

            I swallowed and then gave into a slow nod. “Just once,” I said quietly. “A um…while ago.”

            How long ago? Suddenly all the days were blurring together.

            Rufus nodded slowly.

            “I’m sorry,” I whispered, though I wasn’t sure why I was doing so. Again, I didn’t owe him anything. If anything, he owed me for that whole ‘surprise sex’ bit. Plus, it wasn’t like he didn’t sleep around – why couldn’t I?

            He shrugged. “Don’t be. He’s hot.”

            At this I stared at him, because, yes, I knew I recognized that look on his face. It was that ‘I-think-I-might-want-to-fuck-you-senseless’ look, and suddenly that uncomfortable feeling returned, igniting within me, a form of anger I didn’t really understand.

            “Yeah,” I breathed, because I had to agree with him, “he is.”

            I wasn’t sure what Kieron looked like to Rufus since he couldn’t ‘see’ him or whatever like I could, but I knew what he looked like to me…and yes, he was hot, I would finally admit. Pale skin stretched over a flat stomach, faint muscles hinting at the hidden strength I knew he possessed, wild blue hair and dark blue eyes…

            Yeah. ‘Hot’ pretty much summed it up.

            Rufus smiled at me and stood, approaching me. I still stood near the middle of the room. Slowly, his hands gripped my arms and rubbed up and down. “I missed you,” he said quietly.

            I swallowed. “Um…yeah, I missed you too,” I replied, because I did. I missed him, but I didn’t really miss the whole ‘surprise sex’ bit. I could really do without that.

            Before I could blink, his lips were suddenly on my own, a familiar, hot pressure, and normally I thoroughly enjoyed it.

            Right now, though…all I could think about was how it didn’t feel like Kieron.


	39. The Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John comes to collect on his deal, despite how much you might not want to do this.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Deal

 

 

 

Days passed and I had yet to see Kieron again. Despite my confusion, I knew I did want to see him again. He seemed to be letting me in, and wasn’t as rude to me as he once was. Perhaps in time I could break through that wall of his and get to know him like Ashere and the other Etherians did. Why this mattered so much, I wasn’t sure, but it did.

            However, I hadn’t seen him since he left with Ashere. I wasn’t sure what angered me more – the fact he left with _Ashere_ , or the fact he had yet to return.

            Then I wondered why it mattered.

            Ashere was a friend of his – a close one, too. They’d been friends for a long time. It made sense that they’d hook up occasionally, but according to Kieron, Ashere was with Blaine now. Did that mean they were _together_? If so, why was I worried? Because Ashere didn’t look like he would cheat on her, even if she was a royal bitch.

            Then again, what did I know about perpetuals? Nothing. For all I knew, the ‘bond’ meant nothing. Ashere might have been tied to Blaine, but that didn’t mean he loved her. According to Kieron, immortals _couldn’t_ love anyone because they didn’t feel a _spark_ , whatever that was.

            Luckily, before I could really think about it, there was a knock at my door. I got to my feet and pulled it open to reveal John standing there. “Hey,” I said quietly, wondering why I felt dismayed, because even if it was Kieron, it wasn’t like he’d actually knock.

            “Hey,” John said with a brief smile. “I’ve come to collect.”

            “Collect?” I asked, mind blanking momentarily, but then his earlier words came back to me, causing a shiver to run down my spine. “N-Now?”

            He shrugged. “Before you disappear again,” he said, and while there wasn’t anger in his voice, there was something else I wasn’t sure I liked, but I let it go for now.

            “I didn’t mean to vanish…”

            “You owe me a week.”

            I swallowed thickly. When he’d first had me carry around that stupid slip of paper, I’d been a little irritated at the fact I had to be his for a week because he hadn’t even bothered to tell me, just practically made me carry the paper around the whole time, which apparently meant I agreed to do it…but I didn’t…not really.

            Then, of course, I’d been taken to Atlantis and never go around to actually doing it. I’d missed his birthday, too, and had apparently worried him so much he called the damn police. So, yeah, I was pretty sure I owed him.

            But suddenly I didn’t really want to do this. John was my best friend, and while I loved being around him, I suddenly didn’t want to have sex with him. It wasn’t because he was unattractive – John could probably have any guy he wanted, what with his personality mixed with his charm and his looks – but because the thought suddenly made me a little…dismayed.

            But I couldn’t back out, because I owed him. I really did.

            So I stepped aside and allowed him to enter my apartment. He shook his head and waved me outside. I frowned.

            “My place,” he said. “Remember?”

            I bit down on my lower lip because I wasn’t sure I could go to his place. Kieron, Ashere and Blaine were still scouting the area – to my knowledge, anyway – and I wasn’t sure what would happen if I went to his place. Would the screamers find me? They weren’t looking out for his place.

            “Tomorrow,” I found myself saying quickly, “come get me tomorrow. I…just, yeah, tomorrow.”

            John stared at me for a long moment before he sighed and nodded. “I’ll be here in the morning to collect,” he promised, and then walked away.

            I shut the door and leaned against it, having bought myself some time.

            But some time for what? I really didn’t know, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to think about it.

           

 

I wasn’t alone for long – about three hours later, there was another knock at my door, and this time when I opened it, I was shocked to find Kieron standing there, looking exhausted and-

            “You’re bleeding,” I said, grabbing his arm and yanking him inside. He entered without argument, dragging his feet. My skin wasn’t tingling or itching, and hadn’t been, and I wasn’t sure what that meant. “Are you okay?” I forced him to sit on the couch and he sank down into the cushions with a heavy sigh.

            “I’m fine, human,” he told me, waving off my concern.

            “Screamers?” I asked. “Have they found us?”

            They couldn’t have found us so soon, could they? I’d only been here a few days! If I vanished again so soon, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to mend anything with my friends.

            When he shook his head, I felt relief flow through me. “Then…how…?”

            He shrugged and shook his head.

            “What happened?” I asked.

            “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said tightly, and I nodded.

            “I didn’t, um…feel anything.”

            He shrugged. “I wasn’t in danger.”

            “But you’re…”

            “It’s just a little cut,” he told me. “Already stopped bleeding. I just…”

            I frowned as he looked away, hesitating. “Kie?” I sat next to him and lightly grabbed his shoulder.

            “I think I will sleep here for a while,” he murmured, and I smiled, nodding.

            “Sure! Stay as long as you like,” I told him, grinning. “You can take the bed.”

            “I’m fine with the couch.”

            “I insist.”

            A pause. “Well…if you _insist_ …”

            “I do,” I said, and grabbed him by the arm. I hauled him to his feet and led him down the hallway, pushing open my bedroom door. “You look exhausted, by the way.”

            He grunted in response. “Yeah. Probably.”

            It was all he said about it before he dropped down onto the bed and kicked off his shoes. I sat down next to him, unsure as to what to do next, because I knew I should just let him sleep, but a part of me wanted to stay…even though I wasn’t tired…

            For a long moment, I sat there, on the edge of indecision, before he lightly touched a hand to my shoulder, causing me to glance at him. “I don’t take up that much space,” he said slowly, watching me, “so if you want to sleep too…that’d be okay.”

            Though I wasn’t really that tired, I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face as I nodded and hurriedly climbed under the covers. It had been a few days since I’d seen him, after all, and we _did_ share a bond. What that really meant, I didn’t really know, but I did know I wanted to see him again, more than just once every few days. I’d gotten used to seeing him every day, back in Ethereal – and then suddenly he’d vanished for a few days.

            “Are you ever going to tell me how you got that cut?” I asked as he rested his head down on my spare pillow, staring up at the ceiling as I watched him.

            He released a heavy sigh. “Go to sleep, human.”

            Except it wasn’t a command – and the tone was not harsh. This left me smiling despite myself. “Okay,” I said. “But you’ll tell me later, right?”

            A pause, then: “Don’t push your luck.”

           

 

 

I woke the next morning to an empty bed. I blinked at the empty space and frowned as my fingers knocked against cold covers. Kieron was gone and apparently had been for a while. I crawled out of bed and looked around the apartment but didn’t see him anywhere, and I had no idea where he would have gone. Probably out scouting the area, right? Yeah, probably.

            _Scouting the area with Ashere,_ my mind said, and I scowled.

            If Kieron wanted to scout with Ashere, that was fine. They were friends and had been for a long time. I didn’t care. I didn’t care if they scouted together, or if Ashere decided to kiss him again, or if they’re little fling wasn’t really over.

            I didn’t care. Nope. Not at all.

            Then why did my chest tighten at the thought? Gah! How could Kieron be so damn irritating when he wasn’t even here?

            Luckily I was saved from such thoughts by the sound of someone knocking at my door. I trudged toward it and pried it open, giving into a wide yawn which turned into a choked gasp when John pushed his way into my apartment. “W-What are you doing here?” I stammered, suddenly thankful Kieron wasn’t there.

            “It’s tomorrow,” he said, eying me, and suddenly I understood.

            “Oh,” I said quietly, and nodded. I was supposed to be his now, for a week – although I doubted I could do it for a week, but whatever. “I need to tell Kieron-“

            Now John scowled. “What, does he own you now?” he asked, watching me. “Are you his little bitch?”

            “No!” I snapped, glaring at him. “I just…it’s complicated! I need to tell him where I’m going!”

            “Then call him.”

            “I…can’t,” I muttered.

            “Why not?”

            “He doesn’t…have a cell phone.”

            Now John laughed. “Are you sure about that? Everyone has a cell phone. He’s probably just lying to you.”

            “No, I swear, he doesn’t have one.” I knew for a fact he didn’t have one – he wasn’t even from here! But now I was picturing Kieron with a cell phone, tucked away in his pocket to be brought to his ear as he talked, scowling at the device, and…now I was laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe.

            “What’s so funny?” John asked, but he was smirking too.

            “Nothing,” I breathed. “Just a funny thought. Anyway, I really need to tell him.”

            He shrugged. “Leave him a note.”

            I blinked. I supposed I could do that, but it didn’t seem right to just assume he’d find it if he stopped by again. It was my only choice, though, because I’d promised John I would do this, and had already stalled for a day. It was time to cash in my promise, and I owed him. I owed him a lot.

            “Fine,” I sighed, and hurriedly grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled out a quick message.

Then I put it on the kitchen table, sure he’d see it there if he came inside, because he always went to the kitchen. Satisfied, I turned to face John and nodded.

“Okay,” I breathed, “I’m ready.”

“And you agree to do whatever I say when I say it, right?” John asked, a sly grin spreading across his face, and I knew I was going to regret this.

“Yeah,” I sighed, because I had to, “I do.”

He grinned and clapped a hand to my arm, dragging me out of the house and outside, toward his truck. I tried to think of a way out of this, but he was right – I’d promised him, and I owed him. There was no way out of this so I might as well get this over with, right? At least for a few days. I was sure if I begged he’d let me out of it early.

I just hoped nothing bad showed up at his place looking for me. I was sure it would take at least a few days for the screamers to track me to his place – unless I still smelled, but I’d taken a few showers already…what exactly did I smell like to them? – and Kieron was out looking around, so I assumed I’d be safe enough.

Even so, I couldn’t stop the tight knot forming in my stomach…but I wasn’t sure it was just because of the thought of the screamers.

We arrived at his place soon enough, and I stared at his house. I hadn’t expected it to change, but the lack of change had me smiling. I enjoyed finding that things stayed the same while other things were spiraling out of control around me.

We climbed out of the car and he hurried me into his house, shutting and locking the door behind him. That wasn’t uncommon, though – if John wasn’t expecting people to come over, he usually always locked the door, even if he was home or not. Once we made it into the living room, he turned to face me.

“From this moment on,” he said, watching me, “you are hereby my sex slave for a week. You will do as I say when I say it, or you will be punished.” A pause. “And don’t think I won’t punish you – I’m still pissed you vanished for so long. I should punish you anyway.”

I couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped me. He tried to sound threatening but he really couldn’t pull it off. The scowl on his face looked more like a pout than anything else. Even so, I gave a quick nod. Maybe the sooner I pleased him, the faster I could get out of here. “Okay,” I said. “I agree to whatever.”

He knew my limits, after all. He knew where the line was and he never crossed it, therefore I trusted him. He was my best friend, after all – how could I not?

Still, though, a part of me still worried. I’d never done much with John other than the occasional hook-ups, but even those were few and far between. I enjoyed just being his friend with no strings attached. I never felt committed to him in any way other than friendship. I was sure he felt the same, too. I was a fun toy at his parties and whatnot, but not much else when it came to sex. I’d never been his sex slave before – okay, wait, that’s a lie.

There was a time about two years ago when I lost a bet and had to do whatever he said for two days. Some of that involved sex and him ordering me around. The rest of it involved me cleaning his house and cooking him supper like a ‘good little housewife’, as he’d put it. Back then it had been in jest, though. I’d made that bet fair and square and had lost, therefore that was my punishment.

Now, though, I felt like I’d been somewhat tricked into this, and I couldn’t back out. At first, when I’d learned what that stupid note said and what it meant, I’d been a little miffed but okay with it. It was John, after all, not Rufus. I didn’t know what to expect from Rufus anymore. But John was different. I thought I might have been even a little excited at the thought of being his for a week, because like I said, I didn’t belong to anyone. No one ever claimed me. I was used then tossed aside, but whatever, I could deal with it. So the thought that I would belong to someone for an entire week…well, who wouldn’t want that?

Now, though, I felt more nervous and regretful of this than anything. It wasn’t like it was a stranger, but still, I felt more than a little dirty as he led me toward his bedroom. I was basically signing my life away for a week. I had no idea what he would have me do, or do to me, or anything.

Even so, I couldn’t back out. It was far too late for that, and I owed him so much. I was sure if our positions had been switched, I would have been very pissed at him if he disappeared without saying anything, then randomly showed up again and gave lame excuses. Kieron had lied for me, but even so, I knew John was still very suspicious, and I didn’t blame him – _couldn’t_ blame him.

If this could help us get back to how we were before, then I’d gladly do it.

“Sit,” John instructed, gesturing toward his bed. I sat. “I will be back in a second. When I come back, I expect you to have no clothes on.”

I shrugged and nodded. “Okay.”

He smiled at me and walked out of the room. Quickly I stripped and tossed my clothes aside in a pile. A minute later John returned to the room with a backpack slung over his shoulder. I eyed it warily as he stopped in front of me.

“What’s that?” I asked.

He shrugged. “My supplies.”

“Supplies?” Why did I not like the sound of that?

“Yep – Rufus leant me a few things.” He watched me.

I swallowed as it hit me. “O-Oh,” I murmured. “You’re…oh. Okay.” I couldn’t really argue, could I? I’d agreed to this. Back then I would have been in the same position as now, so why then did I feel so damn _nervous_ all of a sudden? It wasn’t really like this was anything new.

The first thing he pulled out was some underwear. I noticed it was the same as the kind I had before, the ones with no back. I scowled at it but caught it as John tossed them toward me. “Put those on,” he instructed, and I did so.

Then he pushed at my shoulder, hinting how he wanted me to turn around, so I crawled more onto the bed and turned, sitting on my knees, my back toward him. My breath hitched a little when my wrists were caught and tugged behind me, clasped together with padded handcuffs. They were padded and soft but it was still far too reminiscent of when the screamers caught me, and I had to struggle to calm my suddenly racing heart.

“You okay?” John asked, seemingly noticing my discomfort. “Are they too tight?”

“No,” I breathed, shaking my head, black bangs blinding me momentarily, “no, I’m okay. They’re fine.”

I wasn’t with the screamers, I told myself. And I wasn’t with Rufus. These handcuffs were padded and caused pretty much no discomfort at all. Still, though, my sudden lack of freedom had my stomach flipping.

Next a cloth slid over my eyes, blinding me, and it took all I had not to jerk away from John’s light hold. I bit down hard on my bottom lip to keep from panicking. This was John, after all – he wouldn’t hurt me. I was safe. I wasn’t with the screamers. I wasn’t being dragged somewhere to be killed or something, and my skin wasn’t itching or burning so Kieron was fine.

 _And you’re thinking of Kieron…why?_ my mind asked. _You’re with John right now, so focus on John._

My mind had a point.

Still, though, I couldn’t understand the appeal of tying me up. First Rufus, now John. I couldn’t count the screamers because they’d basically been kidnapping me. What was so damn interesting about cuffs being locked to my wrists?

“You’re going to be on a points system,” John explained as he finished tying the knot to the blindfold.

“Points system?” I asked.

“Do something good and you will be rewarded. You lose points when you do something wrong or disobey me. Then you are punished. If you are good all the way to the end of whatever we are doing, I will reward you and let you cum.”

I swallowed.

“Understand?”

“Sure, yeah,” I murmured. I couldn’t believe I was doing this.

“Good.”

With that, a hand pressed to my back and shoved me, causing me to topple forward and land into soft pillows. I felt rope weave around and between my legs, tying them at the ankles, leaving me very little room to move my feet at all. I felt very constricted and struggled to calm my frenzied breathing before John noticed, my hands twisting in the cuffs, unconsciously trying to get free.

Freedom was not found and would not be found for a while, I knew.

“Sit up,” John said, and I struggled to do so but I kept sliding on the sheets. Finally I just rolled over and used my hands to push myself into a sitting position. I could hear John moving around the room, but had no idea what he was doing except moving around the bed. “Mm, you look good like this.”

I swallowed. “Um…thanks,” I said slowly. “What is the appeal? Of tying me up, I mean.”

“Doms like to be in charge,” John told me, and I could almost picture his shrug in my head. “This is a way we can be in charge in pretty much every way. Plus you look hot like this.”

I scowled. “Do I ever get to tie you up? See how you like it?”

He barked out a laugh. “We’ll see,” he said, “but I wouldn’t hold your breath.” Then suddenly he was right next to me, brushing bangs off my forehead, fingers skimming over the blindfold, breath in my ear as he spoke. “I missed you, Terry.”

I couldn’t stop the shiver which slid through me. “Yeah…missed you too,” I said, because it was true. John was my best friend – of course I missed him. There had been times I’d wondered if I’d ever come back home, if I’d ever get to see anyone again. Those were not happy times. “Sorry for vanishing…”

Teeth nibbled at my ear, causing my breath to catch in my throat. “I’ll forgive you if you’re good,” he told me, and I nodded slowly.

“Okay,” I breathed, “then I’ll be good.”

I was dragged toward the edge of the bed and told to turn around. I did so, facing the bed, and felt myself leaned over it, bent down until my bare chest touched the covers. I swallowed because this felt familiar. I felt that familiar warm firmness pressed against my hole, circling around it, teasing, and bit down hard on my lower lip to keep from saying anything.

“If you come before I say you can,” John said smugly, “then bad things will happen. Do you understand?”

I nodded.

“Say it.”

“I understand.”

Satisfied, he guided his dick into me, slow at first but as he pushed through my sphincter he moved quicker, and I couldn’t stop the moan from the pain. No lube, little warning, he was just suddenly inside and pushing in deeper, ripping through me, but just beyond the pain I could feel the pleasure beginning to ignite. He slid out of me, gave me a second to breathe, and then slammed into me again, all the way this time, and the pleasure began to override the pain.

As he kept slamming into me, I felt myself grow hard as my mind started to cloud over, but I remembered his words and struggled to keep myself from coming in any way, but it was hard.

A minute later he found that spot – that glorious, glorious spot, and it took all I had not to squirm until he hit it _just right_ , because even though I wanted it, I couldn’t have it. That would be bad and I didn’t know what John had planned as punishment.

Harder and harder he slammed into me, and I felt his hand slip around and fingers just barely slide down my own cock, hard within the underwear, stretching the fabric. I moaned because this was so damn unfair! Slowly he curved his hand around my staff and rubbed up and down, and I struggled out of his grip, to move away, but the only way I could go was back and that movement just shoved him into me all the more, slamming harshly into that spot.

“Stop,” I gasped, because I could feel it coming – it was coming fast and I wouldn’t be able to stop it if he kept this up, damn it, _stop_ -

“You need to learn self-control,” he told me smugly, and with that, pounded into me more, shifting somewhat so that-

“Oh holy fuck!” I hissed, tugging at the cuffs because damn it, I couldn’t – stop – can’t keep this up – “John, stop!”

He laughed and rubbed his thumb over the head of my cock and that was it.

With a cry I came all over his hand, panting as the exhaustion settled into my bones and I pretty much lay on the bed, the only thing holding me up being John’s body pressed up against the back of my legs and my ass.

“You failed,” John said with a sigh, hand moving away from my flaccid cock, covered in cum. He pulled out of me without finishing himself, and I knew I was fucked.

“Sorry,” I breathed, mind still foggy with bliss. “Sorry, you wouldn’t stop, and-”

“You failed,” John said again, “and now you will be punished.”


	40. Punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's surprisingly hard to be good. It's even harder when your skin is itching and burning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a chapter with sexual torture, I guess? Vibrators and whatnot. If you wanna skip it, you can.

Chapter Forty: Punishment

 

 

 

It was surprisingly hard to be good.

            I kept screwing up and releasing too soon, and apparently without permission. My punishments mostly consisted of lashings with an old belt, the crack of leather a sharp stab against my bare, exposed flesh. Then he would ram into my poor abused ass and I’d fail again.

            The cycle continued well into the third day. So far I kept failing at being good. My ass was incredibly sore and the stupid backless underwear kept chaffing my groin and was beginning to hurt with every shift I attempted.

            I startled when the blindfold was removed from my eyes and the padded cuffs slid away from my wrists. Slowly I brought my hands in front of me, popping sore joints, rubbing at my wrists. Being held in that position for so long had my muscles more than a little exhausted.

            It was the second time I’d been untied since I’d gotten there.

            “Don’t want you getting too sore,” John said, smiling at me. “Are you hungry?”

            I nodded even though I was mostly just tired. It was surprisingly hard to sleep when held prisoner by cuffs. He kept saying if I could be good, I could sleep without restraints, but like I said, I kept failing.

            He led me down the hallway to the kitchen. I smiled when I saw two plates of food on the table. John nodded toward one chair while he sat in another. I sat and immediately started eating. Periodically I had to stop and stretch sore muscles.

            “Sorry you’re so sore,” John said, watching me. “But until you learn to be good…”

            “Yeah, yeah,” I sighed, chugging at my Sprite. “It’s not that easy, you know.”

            “I know.” He grinned. “Because I’m a sex god and you can’t fight how amazing I am.”

            I snorted and shook my head, choosing instead to enjoy my food rather than respond.

            Once we were done eating, John led me into the mast bathroom, which was in his room. He pushed me into the shower and we then proceeded to wash. The hot water burned at the welts from the belt, yet it felt so good, if that made sense. The water soothed sore joints and aching muscles.

            Finished with the shower, he didn’t even let me dry off before he yanked my hands behind my back and slipped the cuffs on again. Lips touched against my wet neck and a hot tongue licked away the water droplets. Hands roamed up and down my sides, skating over my hips, causing my breath to get caught in my throat, but surprisingly not because John was touching me like this.

            Instead I was distinctly reminded of when Kieron pushed me against the wall and allowed his hands to roam my sides, his hot breath in my ear and-

            Hands found my cock and gripped it, leaving me gasping as I was snapped out of the memory, cock throbbing and hard. Fuck, why was it so damn hard to not think about that blue-haired immortal? He wasn’t even here! He hadn’t even stopped by! So either he didn’t care enough to find me or he read the note and decided I was fine, even though I’d been gone for three days.

            John pushed my cock toward me and up, leaving me stepping back into him, his chest against my cuffed hands. His hand slid up and down my shaft and I couldn’t stop the moan which escaped my lips. Then I yelped when he gave a particularly hard squeeze.

            “Don’t make a sound,” he said, voice all authority, “or I’ll be forced to silence you, and you will be punished.”

            I snapped my mouth shut and bit down on my tongue as he continued running a hand up and down my shaft. The best part was there was no stupid backless underwear to worry about.

            His free hand ran up and down my right side before it slid over my hip and around toward my back. His palm slapped onto my bare, wet ass cheeks several times, leaving me trying to jerk away from him with each hit. However, any movement had him tightening his grip on my cock, shoving it up and toward me, pulling it toward my belly button before I managed to step backward enough I was securely pressed against him.

            “John,” I breathed, because that blissful haze was going to be an issue if he kept this up. And my ass was burning now, and I couldn’t move away from the strikes. Each hit had me on my tiptoes, ass shifting as far away from as it could, which wasn’t very far at all.

            “What did I say about being quiet?” he chided.

            I snapped my mouth shut again.

            Finally he stopped abusing my ass and ran his hand across my chest momentarily. Then his hand disappeared.

            His fingers appeared pushing into my hole, scissoring me open, and I gasped because, _fuck_ , his other hand was still tugging on my cock.

            I moaned without thinking, and everything suddenly stopped. His hand slid off my clock and his fingers slid out of my ass.

            “Sorry,” I said.

            “Too late,” he sighed.

            He grabbed my arm and led me toward his bed. He pushed onto my shoulders and I sat on the soft mattress.

            “Lay down,” he said. “On your stomach.”

            I did as he said and he un-cuffed my wrists. I blinked. Was I really being let free for the time being? Was I really not going to be punished?

            Then he snagged my wrists and slipped them through the headboard, snapping the cuffs on, locking my wrists around one of the bars.

            He shifted and then I found myself blindfolded again. I still felt a little jolt of fear every time it slid over my eyes, even though I knew I was safe. John wouldn’t hurt me – well, other than my ‘punishment’.

            I startled when an inflatable gag slipped into my mouth and was pumped a few times, filling up my mouth.

            _You’re okay,_ I told myself. _It’s not the screamers and it’s not Rufus. You’re fine._

            “You could have saved yourself from this,” John said, and the sigh in his voice left dread gripping my heart. “To your knees.”

            I struggled forward a little and managed to get myself to my knees. His hand pushed at my neck and I ducked my head, leaning forward somewhat, my ass sticking out and exposed.

            I was expecting a hot, throbbing cock to enter my, not something smooth and cool, and a little heavy. I realized it was an inflatable butt plug when he pumped it twice and then shifted away, satisfied it was secure.

            Next my left ankle was caught and tugged toward the foot of the bed. I was forced back down to my stomach as my ankle was yanked to the side and tied to the far left side of the foot rest, to the thick post. The same happened to my other ankle, to the right side.

            Then suddenly the belt cracked against my so-sore ass and I yelped. Next John was near my head. The gag in my mouth was pumped two more times, my whole mouth now full. If a sound threatened to rip from my throat, it wouldn’t make it out of my mouth.

            “Sorry,” he said. “Can’t have you screaming so much you get the cops called on me.”

            “What?!” I tried to ask but only a very faint mumble managed to escape my mouth, the sound getting caught in my throat.

            The plug in my ass was pumped at least three more times, leaving me grunting as my hole was spread open more. Something cold yet soft was placed against my hip. Something cold and hard was placed on my other side.

            “I’d try not to move if I were you,” John said with a snicker. “Remember, you brought this on yourself.”

            To my right, where the hard object was, he pushed something and the plug in my ass jumped to life, vibrating inside of me.

            “Mm!” I cried, hands flexing in the cuffs because I’d never had a vibrator before.

            He gave the plug in my ass one more pump and I grunted. The vibrating stopped soon enough and I swallowed as much as I could.

            He slapped my ass, forcing the plug more inside me, causing me to grunt again.

            “I’ll be back later,” He laughed. “Scream all you want – no one will hear you.”

            With that, his bedroom door opened and closed, and I was alone.

            Then that stupid plug vibrated again, stronger this time, and I tugged at my restraints. “Mmm!”

            Thankfully it stopped soon enough, and I sucked in deep, calming breaths. Cumming right now would leave me exhausted and left with just the pain, and that was not something I wanted. Plus, if this was my punishment for making a noise, I didn’t want to see what my punishment would be for cumming without his permission.

            “Mmph!” My ass shook again. This was fucking torture. “Mmm!”

            Relief, but I wasn’t sure for how long. My mind was too hazed to think.

            _Oh God, I can’t do this. F-_

            “Fuck!” I cried but I knew it came out as a jumble of muffled sounds. The vibrating lasted longer this time, it seemed, leaving me frantically tugging at my bonds, because even the slightest movement of my cock against the covers had me inching closer to the edge.

            Finally it stopped and I could breathe.

            The next vibration had me crying out as I wriggled desperately on the bed. My left hip bumped harshly against the object and I moaned as the plug in my ass expanded more, stretching me with I wasn’t sure how many new pumps.

            When the vibrating came again, my ass was so full it resonated through me and tickled that spot.

            “Oh _fuck_!”

            Torture! This was fucking _torture_.

            “Stop! Please!”

            My next movement had my right hip bumping the solid object as the vibrations went away. I froze but nothing happened, so maybe nothing-

            “ _Mmph!_ ”

            The vibrator shook to life, so much stronger now, shaking that spot. I twisted and hit the object for the plug again and it filled me even more, spreading me open and-

            “ _MMMPHH!”_

            I came violently over the covers beneath me and when the haze began to clear, the vibrations started again, shaking in my sore, stretched ass and-

            “Ahhh,” I whimpered, because it really fucking _hurt_.

            Everything hurt. My ass burned and throbbed and my leg muscles ached so much from my struggling. My shoulders and wrists hurt from tugging at the cuffs.

            “Nooo! Stop!” I gasped as the vibrator came to life again. Despite myself, I could feel my cock growing hard again, the vibrations teasing against that spot. “Stop!”

            But it wasn’t stopping. I doubted John could even hear me with the way this gag filled my mouth. He said this was my punishment and I could have stopped it but _fuck_ , please, anything but-

            “MMM!”

            I tried to think of something, anything else so I could ignore the punishment and stop growing so hard. I couldn’t cum again. The pain afterward was horrible and there was no way to get free.

            I thought of things I didn’t like.

            My dad’s special sauce.

            Funerals.

            Broccoli.

            Wrinkly old ladies at the beach.

            In bikinis.

            Skinny dipping.

            Kieron at the beach…

            Skinny dip-

            “Mmm!”

            Fuck, that wasn’t helping!

            But now all I could think about was him throwing his clothes off, water glistening on his naked, exposed skin, hair dark and damp, bodies wet and pressed together, and-

            “FUCK!”

            _Don’t think about-_

            “Kieron!” I gasped as I came all over the covers again.

            Fuck, I just came from thinking about Kieron. He’d never let me live it down.

            He didn’t have to know, though, so-

            “Fuck,” I moaned as the vibrations came again.

 

 

I woke later that night completely sore, but surprisingly without any restraints. Warm arms were around me and for a brief moment as I looked around, I thought I was in Ethereal, and those warm arms belonged to someone with blue hair…

            But that was ridiculous.

            I remembered the deal now, and the slow throbbing of my ass reminded me of the torment from earlier today. John’s arms tightened around me as I shifted.

            “Terry,” he sighed.

            “Yeah?” I asked.

            “You’re not too sore, are you?”

            The concern in his voice was touching. “No,” I sighed, “I’m good.”

            He seemed satisfied with the answer and slipped back to sleep.

 

 

The next morning, he let me shower alone and for most of the morning all we did was watch TV and relax, for which I was grateful. We lounged around like we had never made a deal, like I’d only stayed the night because I’d been too drunk to drive home or something, just two friends enjoying TV and breakfast, which consisted of John’s homemade pancakes. They were delicious.

            Of course, all good things came to an end, and as noon passed, he locked the cuffs back onto my wrists, securing them behind my back, my body naked and bare of clothes except that stupid backless underwear.

            He bent me over the bed much like he had that first day, except this time I was blindfolded and gagged, not just blindfolded. My ankles were tied much as they had been then, too.

            As he pushed into me – slowly, thankfully, and with lube this time – I groaned and tugged at the cuffs, causing him to stop for a moment before he shoved in all the way. He gave me another brief moment to get used to it before he moved and started thrusting in and out.

            It wasn’t long before he started hitting that spot and I could feel my dick growing hard, tugging at the fabric of the underwear. He kept doing the same thing, slamming into that spot so easily because by now he knew where it was, and he knew I couldn’t stop myself, yet he kept doing it. How was I supposed to be good when he kept doing this the same way?

            It was as he was slamming into me again that I felt it.

            A dark pit in my stomach, a knot I couldn’t explain. An itchy burn skating across my skin, leaving me breathless as dread and anxiety pulsated through me.

            _Oh God…Kieron._

            It was Kieron, it had to be. The stupid bond.

            I tugged harshly at the cuffs, desperation beginning to claw at my throat. The pinpricks against my skin had me shivering, scrambling to get free, trying to get John to understand something was wrong, but I’d been struggling before so he probably assumed I was just being like this because I didn’t want to cum. As it was that was the last thing on my mind.

            A sharp pain in my side blindsided me, leaving me breathless momentarily, and I thought I had been stabbed again but then realized it wasn’t really anything physical. It was in my mind, a sharp reminder of that bond, and pinpricks on my skin grew, burning and itching all the more.

            “Stop,” I gasped, struggling to break out of the cuffs, but my word came out muffled and jumbled and I knew he didn’t know what I was saying. Even if he did, he probably would have thought it was just because he was ramming into me, and maybe that was part of it, but the real reason was because my _skin was on fucking fire_.

            _Oh fuck, shit, be okay you bastard,_ I thought frantically, because now my heart was racing and I didn’t know what to do. My mind surged, thoughts broken and shattered, skin so damn sore, muscles tense and rigid and-

            “Ngh,” I groaned as he slammed into me again, rushing into my now tight muscles, forcing his way in. “Stop, please! Kieron!”

            “You’re doing good,” John appraised.

            “Fuck, stop!”

            I had to get the fuck _out of here_. Kieron was in trouble, damn it! I felt all jittery like I’d had way too much caffeine, but even that didn’t seem right, either. My mind raced along with my heart and it took all I had to swallow back the bile threatening to rise in my throat as that tight knot churned in my stomach.

            John came inside of me and slid out of me, releasing a heavy breath. I grunted and sank to my knees, legs too tired and jittery to hold me up any longer. The throbbing of my ass was nothing compared to fire spreading through my body, eating me alive as I tugged at the cuffs and growled into my gag.

            “Let me go! Kieron!”

            After a moment John placed a hand on my shoulder and I swiveled my head toward him. “You did good,” he said. “There will be no punishment.”

            Then he slid off the blindfold and gag and I swallowed thickly, watching him.

            “You have to let me go,” I said quickly. “Let me go right now!”

            He blinked at me. “What? Why?”

            “Because!”

            There was no way I could explain any of this to him. I barely knew what was happening myself, just that I had this overwhelming urge to _be somewhere else_.

            “Terry…you made a deal,” he said slowly, frowning at me.

            I shook my head. “I know I did and I’ll finish it later, but you have to let me go right now!”

            He watched me. “Why?”

            “Can’t you just trust it’s for a good reason? I have to get out of here, John,” I said quietly, hoping he’d understand.

            “What’s the good reason?”

            “Just trust me! I’m not trying to get out of the deal, I really need to go somewhere!”

            “Go where?”

            I hesitated because I really didn’t know.

            “If you had to go somewhere, why didn’t you tell me ahead of time?” he asked.

            “Because I didn’t know then!”

            “Know what?”

            I snapped my mouth shut.

            He watched me for a long moment while my heart raced in my chest, frantic with a certain pull I didn’t understand. Then he sighed and shook his head.

            “Sorry, Terry,” he sighed, “but you can’t just break deals because you want to get out of it…”

            Then he slipped the gag back into my mouth, effectively silencing me, and I stared at him.

            I wasn’t sure what hurt more: the fact he didn’t believe me or the fact he silenced me.


	41. Caught

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the weapon that kills perpetuals. And Kieron is a little too close.

Chapter Forty-One: Caught

 

 

 

For thirty minutes, my skin burned and my pulse raced. For thirty minutes, I couldn’t form a coherent thought. For thirty minutes, I tugged and yanked at cuffs and rope, at the gag in my mouth, pushing outward with my tongue but nothing worked. For thirty minutes, I fumed about my friendship with John and how he could just toss my worries aside like this, and walk away after silencing me. For thirty minutes, I worried if I’d just lost a friend…in more ways than one, because while I was pissed at John, that burning wasn’t going away. In fact, it was getting worse and I feared what it meant.

            By the time John returned to the room, I was all but panicking, sucking in sharp, frenzied breaths. His eyes widened and he hurried toward me, tugging the gag out of my mouth. “Terry, what’s wrong?” he asked, eying me up and down like I was hurt, but it was worse than that.

            “I gotta go!” I snapped, glaring at him because I’d fucking _told_ him I had to leave and he hadn’t fucking _listened_. “Let me go!” I yanked at the cuffs and he frowned at me.

            “What’s wrong?” he asked quietly.

            “Just _let me go_!”

            He stared at me for a moment before he sighed and unlocked the cuffs. I threw my wrists in front of me and hurriedly tugged at the knot on the rope binding my ankles. Once that was off I tore the gag away from me and threw it aside, staggering to my feet.

            “Clothes,” John reminded me as I hurried out of his room. I swallowed and returned to snag my clothing and tug them on before I rushed toward the front door. “Wait.”

            “What?” I hissed, spinning to glare at him. “I gotta fucking _go_.”

            “I’ll drive you,” he said. “You don’t look so well.”

            _No fucking shit I don’t look so fucking well!_

            I gave into a terse nod and we left the house, climbing into his truck.

            As soon as he pulled up to my apartment I threw open my door before waiting for the truck to stop moving. He said something to me but I didn’t hear it, didn’t care to hear it, and breathed a quick sigh of relief when he slowly pulled away and drove off.

            I sighed and started toward my door.

            The closer I got to the door, the more my skin burned and I knew, on some level, this was where I needed to be. Something was telling me this was the place, and I didn’t question it even though I didn’t understand it. I took in a breath and slowly pushed open the door.

            The first sight to greet me was the sneering face of a screamer. Instantly I tried to turn and back out of the apartment, call John back somehow, but it was too late. My wrist was caught and I was yanked inside, the door closing behind me. I barely took notice of the second screamer behind me because I suddenly couldn’t look away from the blade clasped in the first screamer’s free hand.

            The blade covered in blood.

            _Red_ blood.

            A clarity I didn’t understand seeped through me and suddenly I knew. “Where is he?” I whispered, forcing my gaze toward the sneering, volatile face.

            A wicked smirk crossed the screamer’s face. It sent a look to the second screamer. “Get the perpetual.”

            I watched as the second screamer disappeared down the hallway, a knot working its way from my stomach to my throat. A moment later the screamer returned with-

            “Kieron!” I tried to lunge toward him but was stopped as the grip on my wrist tightened, leaving me wincing. I was left to watch as Kieron was shoved against the wall, eyes closed and expression pale and slack. The blade was tossed to the second screamer, the one holding Kieron up. I growled when the blade flashed close to Kieron’s neck. “Leave him alone.”

            The first screamer laughed. Chills crept down my spine. “Wake him.”

            “Don’t!” I snapped as the blade sliced easily through the flesh of Kieron’s cheek, just a small slice but enough to spill blood. To my horror, the wound started smoking and Kieron’s eyes snapped open. For a brief moment he looked disoriented and confused but then his gaze landed on me.

            “Terry,” he breathed.

            “Kie,” I said back.

            “How sweet,” the first screamer said, yanking me backward toward the opposite wall, my back slamming into it. “Too bad I have to break up this sweet little reunion. Murk, if you could do the honors.”

            _Murk?_ I thought, confused, but the screamer near Kieron nodded and lifted the blade. When Kieron’s gaze darkened I knew something was wrong.

            “Stop,” I hissed, struggling to move away from the wall but there wasn’t much I could do. I was a weak human, after all. Even Kieron had trouble with screamers and he was a hell of a lot stronger than me.

            Kieron, to his credit, didn’t make a sound when the blade slid easily into his shoulder. He instead threw his head back, slamming it into the wall as his expression tightened in pain. As the knife was tugged free, the wound smoked much as it had before and Kieron’s legs shook, like he could barely hold himself up.

            “Kie,” I breathed, watching him, confused as to what was happening to- “Don’t!”

            The blade slashed across his other shoulder, smoke gliding into the air. Kieron clenched his jaw but otherwise didn’t acknowledge the wound.

            “That’s like poison to you, isn’t it?” commented the first screamer, clawed hand firm on my chest, holding me in place. “Has to hurt like hell. But you’re at the bottom of the line, aren’t you, Kieron? Built to handle pain. But your reserves are running thin – then what will save you?”

            Malicious eyes settled on me and a croked smile parted dry, discolored lips, revealing sharp, stained fangs.

            “Shall we see how much the human can endure? It’s not poisonous to him, but – oh, wait, he’s _human_. They die so _easily_.”

            The blade was tossed through the air, caught by the screamer. Bloody gold gleamed back at me, so covered in red I hadn’t noticed it was gold until now. I threw my hand out to keep the blade away from me but was stopped when the hand on my chest lifted and caught hold of my wrists in one quick motion, slamming them above my head, holding them against the wall. I knew even before I started struggling that I wouldn’t be able to twist free.

            The blade flashed in front of my eyes.

            “Don’t,” Kieron said with a low growl resonating through his voice.

            “Humans,” the first screamer said, shaking its head. “They are so easy to kill. Just one little slip and-“

            “Ngh!” I hissed, sagging downward somewhat as the blade stabbed into my shoulder, blood seeping heavily from the wound as the blade was pulled free.

            “Stop!” Kieron snapped, and I looked toward him when I heard movement.

            He lunged away from the wall, toward me, but was slammed into the ground by Murk, the screamer by him. As the shadows around him shifted, the only light that of the window, I saw the blod staining the side of his shirt, rips in his clothing. He growled and shoved the screamer off him but I could see it was a struggle for him, exhaustion clear in his expression and movements, and I was reminded of the screamer’s words.

            _Poison._

            It was poison to him. Crap, what did that mean? Clearly it was taking its toll on him.

            The screamer was shoved off and Kieron scrambled to his feet, lunging toward the screamer next to me, and I felt the cool touch of the golden blade press against my jugular.

            “So easy,” the screamer said with a sigh. “Just a bit of pressure.”

            Kieron stopped a few feet away, growling, fangs clear in his voice. “What do you want?”

            “The two of you have bonded,” the screamer sighed. “And you are proving to be quite a nuisance. Murk, do it.”

            I growled as Kieron was grabbed and spun, shoved chest-first into the wall. His wrists were caught and wrestled behind his back.

            “The longer you resist, the more I carve into the human.”

            To my shock, Kieron stopped fighting and allowed golden cuffs to be snapped onto his wrists, locking them behind his back. Then he was spun so his locked hands were against the wall. His gaze landed on me and I swallowed. What did they want with Kieron?

            The blade was tossed through the air again, caught by Murk.

            “Get rid of him,” said the first screamer.

            My eyes widened. Could this be the weapon…?

            Kieron sighed somewhat and glanced at me, eyes dark with a quiet apology, words hidden that-

            “No,” I breathed, struggling, skin burning and heart racing, “no, you can’t – don’t!”

            The blade lifted.

            “No!”

            “Stop.”

            The voice wasn’t mine, and I watched as the blade stopped, Murk dropping his arm to his side as a hooded figure emerged from the hallway. I shot my gaze toward Kieron again and felt weak with relief when I saw him looking back at me, unharmed.

            Well…relatively speaking. He was alive.

            Irritated red eyes snapped toward the screamer holding me against the wall. My heart leapt into my throat.

            The demon. It was the demon.

            “Have you forgotten the orders?” the demon snapped.

            “Our job is to get the human and kill the perpetual,” said the screamer next to me.

            “No – _we_ don’t kill him. Not yet.”

            I swallowed. Going after me was one thing – but why plan to kill Kieron?

            “Then what should we do?” Murk asked, and I growled because he was holding that blade a little too close to Kieron’s stomach and chest for my liking.

            “Take him with us,” the demon replied. “Of course, make him more agreeable first.”

            “Fine,” Murk sighed.

            And then promptly slashed the blade across Kieron’s side, eliciting a pained hiss from the immortal as smoke filled the air.

            “Kieron!” I struggled to run forward, get to him somehow, but of course I couldn’t get free.

            His legs gave way and he collapsed to his knees.

            “Kie!”

            The demon sighed. “Slow the bleeding.”

            Murk shrugged and knelt next to Kieron. “Should keep him out of commission for a bit.”

            Kieron slumped against the wall, a snarl on his lips, but no sound emerged.

            “Be good,” the first screamer said, “or we’ll be forced to hurt your little human.”

 

 

It was dark when we left. While Kieron looked terrible when we were led from the apartment, I was happy to see him. We’d been kept in different rooms and my skin kept burning. I’d feared what it meant, so I was relieved to see him, despite the pallor of his exhausted, sliced face.

            We were taken to the woods relatively quickly, though it pretty much passed by in a blur for me because as soon as we left the apartment, my wrists had been bound and a blindfold was slipped over my eyes, the only assurance I had of Kieron’s presence the quiet exhale near my ear.

            I noticed when we returned to Ethereal, though. The air around me seemed to shift, and the scent which wafted up my nostrils seemed different somehow. I knew I wasn’t home anymore, and wounded if I’d ever see it again.

            Where was Ashere during all of this? Or Blaine?

            They had been around before, keeping my apartment secure enough, making sure there was no danger around. However, clearly Kieron had been taken by surprise. Maybe they had as well. Shit, what if they were dead? What if that was part of the burning through me? Part of Kieron’s exhaustion?

            I couldn’t think about it. Didn’t want to.

            “Relax,” Kieron breathed, voice surprisingly close, and I found myself leaning in his direction, breathing a quiet sigh of relief when my shoulder knocked against his arm. “You’ll be okay.”

            “How do you know?” I whispered back.

            “Trust me,” he said.

            I choked out a laugh and nodded, even though I wasn’t sure if he was blindfolded as well, or allowed to see where we were going. “I trust you,” I told him.

            “Quiet,” one of the screamers hissed, and I was smacked in the back of the head, wincing despite myself because _fuck_ , I was human and that fucking _hurt_. My vision swam momentarily and I heard Kieron growl, but thankfully nothing else happened.

            However, I did keep my mouth shut for the time being.


	42. Exhaustion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kieron's not looking good. The steaming wounds aren't helping.

Chapter Forty-Two: Exhaustion

 

 

 

I wasn’t sure how long we walked, or travelled, but my feet were blistered and sore and I could barely feel my arms and hands, despite the fact they were bound in front of me this time. My left shoulder, the one I’d been stabbed in, was numb for the most part but occasionally pain resonated through it. If it was this bad for me, I could only imagine how bad it was for Kieron.

            Speaking of the immortal, I wondered where and how he was. They kept us pretty split up, especially the few times we’d stopped to rest/sleep. Most of the time I didn’t know where he was or how he was faring. My skin wasn’t burning as much, so I hoped he was doing okay.

            I was startled out of my thoughts when a hand landed on my good shoulder, stopping me. The blindfold was slid from my face and I found myself staring up at a massive building. It was a freaking castle! A _castle_! There were castles in Atlantis? I shouldn’t have been surprised, really.

            Movement to my left had me glancing over to find Kieron next to me. “Fuck, Kie,” I breathed, because _fuck,_ he looked…

            Tired blue eyes found mine. He didn’t speak, either because he knew we’d get in trouble for it or because he was simply too exhausted to form words, I didn’t know.

            He was far too pale, dark rings around his eyes. The slice on his cheek was red and puffy, like it tried to heal but failed. I could only imagine what his side and shoulder looked like.

            We were shoved through the leviathan doors and down a long, dark hallway. I couldn’t see anything but luckily there were no roots for me to trip over. I could hear Kieron near me, staggering, grunting, and my skin burned a little more.

            _I’m sorry. This is happening because of me._

            It was my fault he was hurting. They never would have gone after him if it wasn’t for me.

            The hallway gave way to light as a large door was opened and we were shoved inside and led forward to be pushed to our knees. A man stepped from the shadows, a luminous glow in his eyes as he approached us, his dark bangs casting shadows across his face which left me swallowing thickly.

            “Here they are,” the demon said from where he stood behind Kieron. “Delivered as promised.”

            “Nicely done. I’m sure he will be pleased,” replied the new guy.

            I frowned. This wasn’t the guy in charge? This wasn’t the guy calling the shots?

            “This must be the human.”

            Dark yet glowing yellow eyes landed on me and I couldn’t help but shift under his gaze. Something was off with his eyes and it wasn’t just the color. A hand caught my hair and yanked my head back and up at the same time, leaving me biting down on my lower lip to keep from making a sound.

            The gaze shifted toward Kieron and the hand left my hair as the guy walked toward the immortal. “This must be Kieron. Kieron, you’ve caused a lot of problems.”

            “Sorry,” Kieron spat out, glaring.

            “I know you’re not sorry,” sighed the man. “But you should be. You could have saved yourself a lot of pain.”

            The man snapped his fingers and Kieron was hauled to his feet roughly. For a moment he was the old Kieron again, the one I knew and loved, growling and struggling, fighting.

            Then pain sliced down my arm and I yelped in surprise as blood dribbled from the new wound.

            Kieron’s gaze flashed toward me. “Don’t,” he growled.

            “The more you struggle, the more fun I have with this knife,” the guy said, flashing a regular blade in front of my eyes.

            Kieron snarled but quit fighting.

            “Very good,” said the guy, a grin evident in his voice. He walked toward the immortal and grabbed the golden blade from the demon. Blue eyes tracked its movement warily. “You know perpetuals have been dying, I’m sure.” He traced his thumb along the blade’s edge. “It is true this knife can kill you…if used the right way. For example, this-“ the blade slipped into Kieron’s shoulder again, this time near his neck.

            “Kie!” I cried as he threw his head back and grunted.

            “That won’t kill you…yet,” the guy continued. “But eventually you’ll run out of strength. You’ll be too tired to live. And then something as simple as this-“ the blade sliced across his other cheek –“will kill you.”

            “Stop,” I growled as smoke rose into the air.

            “Of course there’s always the other way, you might say. Something like this.”

            “No!”

            The blade sliced across Kieron’s chest and the whimper that escaped him had me struggling to my feet but firm hands on my shoulders held me down.

            “Stop,” I whispered, suddenly breathless as Kieron’s legs gave way and he sagged downward, only held up by the demon.

            “You are strong-willed, though,” sighed the guy. “Used to pain, right? Built for it, even. That way might be faster in the long run, but I feel it would be more satisfying to push you to your limits and watch the will leave you. Don’t you think?”

            “Go to hell,” Kieron breathed.

            The guy chuckled and handed the blade o the demon. “You first.”

            The demon smirked and began dragging Kieron out of the room.

            “Wait,” I said, “where are you taking him? Stop!”

            But the immortal disappeared from my view and I snapped my gaze toward the guy.

            “You better not hurt him,” I growled, glaring at him.

            He laughed. “What are you going to do about it?”

            I growled but knew he was right – I couldn’t stop him. I was weak. “What do you want with us?”

            “You are a part of something you can’t even begin to understand.” He shook his head, walking around me. I felt his scrutinizing gaze slide around me, an unwanted weight I couldn’t get rid of. “Though why _you_ , out of all the humans, all the _better_ choices…I’ll never know.”

            “Sorry to disappoint,” I sighed, tugging at my bonds, but of course nothing had changed. I couldn’t get free. I was weak and useless and I couldn’t help Kieron.

            “Oh, I’m not disappointed.” Stained teeth flashed at me in a quick smile. “Happy, actually. You’re so weak you’re easy to get – well, not counting the perpetual, but we won’t have to worry about him anymore.”

            “What’s that supposed to mean?” I snapped, glaring, heart racing in my chest. My skin was starting to burn again. “Where is he? Why are you doing this? I’m the one you want, not him!”

            He laughed and shook his head, standing in front of me. “We want both of you – _need_ both of you now.”

            “Why?”

            “You bonded with the perpetual – that complicates things.”

            “Why?” I didn’t understand.

            He shook his head again. “Enough questions. Murk, please take the human away.”

            Murk grabbed my arm and hauled me to my feet. I was taken from the room and marched down another dark hallway. All the while, my skin kept burning and itching. We walked for a few minutes when a low sound caught my attention.

            “Kieron!” I cried, managing to twist free of Murk’s grasp somehow and surge in the direction of the sound. Somehow I knew this was the right way. The sound echoed off the walls but I knew.

            The sound came again – either a loud grunt or a low scream, but it was Kieron and I knew he was in pain.

            I clawed at the door handle with my bound hands but was torn away from it before I could do anything. I spun and growled at Murk. “Stop hurting him!”

            _Please stop hurting him. It’s me you want – leave him alone!_

            He laughed and pried open the door, revealing mostly darkness but as we entered further I noticed a dim light laminating-

            “Kieron,” I gasped, struggling to move forward but Murk held tight to my shoulder. “Let go – Kie!”

            Dark, exhausted blue eyes glanced toward me from where Kieron lay nearly motionless on the cool, damp floor, smoke in the air around him and blood beginning to form a small puddle on the ground around him. Above him stood the demon, red eyes snapping toward me.

            “Human?” Kieron asked quietly, voice a mere whisper.

            “Kie,” I breathed back, because he looked so _tired_ …

            “Put him over there,” the demon said, gesturing toward the far wall.

            Murk dragged me away from Kieron and soon I found myself with my back against the wall, cool chains clasping onto the rope binding my hands. Then Murk stepped away and left the room. I swallowed and glanced at Kieron.

            His hands were still clasped behind him, locked in golden cuffs. Various rips in his shirt gave way to puffy and red skin, and his face was so pale, the rings around his eyes so dark.

            The gleam of a blade caught my eye.

            “Don’t!” I rushed forward to-

            But was stopped when my bound hands were jerked to the side and back, the chain secured to the wall. I was forced to watch as the blade slashed across Kieron’s back and smoke rose into the air as a whimper broke the silence.

            “Kie,” I breathed, watching him.

            _Hang on, Kie. We’ll be okay, just…just hang on._

            I wasn’t sure _how_ we’d be okay, but we would. Because there was no way I was going to let them kill Kieron.

            It wasn’t going to happen.

 

 

Time passed. Minutes, hours days – I didn’t know. All I knew was my mouth was so dry my tongue stuck to the roof of it, and Kieron was rarely awake. The few times he _was_ awake, they were carving into him with that blade, and he’d go unconscious again.

            And there was nothing I could do but watch.

            Right now, the room was empty save for Kieron and me. He was motionless on the ground, his raspy breaths echoing through the room. I was still chained to the wall, unable to get to him. My wrists were numb from trying to get free. At the moment, I sat on the damp ground, back against the wall, gaze focused on the slightest bit of movement I’d caught out of the corner of my eye.

            “Kie?” I whispered, staring as he shifted somewhat.

            “T-erry?” he coughed, rolling onto his side, blue eyes glowing somewhat in the dim lighting as his gaze focused on me.

            “It’s me,” I said, pushing off the wall, where I then scooted forward on my knees as much as the chains would let me. “How are you feeling?”

            I didn’t ask if he was okay – I knew he wasn’t.

            I watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed. “Been better,” he murmured.

            A brief pause.

            “Are you hurt?”

            I blinked. “I’m okay.” My should burned and I was pretty sure the wound was infected, but I couldn’t complain. Kieron had it som much worse. “Worry about yourself.”

            He breathed out a faint laugh. “Funny.”

            “This isn’t a joke,” I snapped. “You’re hurt.”

            _So bad. Hurt so much._

            The exhaustion was more than evident in his voice.

            “I know,” he sighed, ees closing momentarily. “But you’ll be okay.”

            Was he crazy?

            “Heard them talking in your apartment,” he said, as though he read my mind. “They…need you.”

            “Need me?” I asked, confused. “If they need me then why do they keep trying to _kill me_?”

            “ ‘s different now.”

            “How so?”

            A small pause. “Dunno. Just…is.”

            He sound _so tired_ …

            “So gold is…poison to you?” I asked, mostly to keep him talking because he’d been so quiet lately, except for when he was being sliced by that blade.

            Plus I really missed his voice.

            “Apparently.”

            “You didn’t know?”

            “No,” he breathed quietly. “I guess now. Didn’t…used to be.”

            “It didn’t?”

            “No…”

            I swallowed. “When you say poison…what do you mean?”

            “Dunno…just…”

            “Kie?” I bit on my lower lip. “Hey, open your eyes, okay? Kie?”

            “Tired. So…so damn _tired_ …”

            “I know you are, I breathed, watching him, a tight knot in my stomach. “But you gotta stay awake, okay? Open your eyes.”

            I inched forward a little more, ignoring the strain on my bound wrists.

            Poison. Reserves. _So damn tired_.

            “Kie, you’re not…not gonna _die_ , are you?”

            My only answer was silence.

           

 

I glared up at the man before me, the same man as before, when we first arrived here. The yellow eyes looked right back at me, a smirk on the man’s face, brightening his eyes in a way shich left my skin crawling.

            “I trust the past two days have served you well,” he said, walking around me.

            I stood in the center of a large yet empty room without any restrains. I knew trying to do anything would be foolish, though, because not only was this man watching me with a cocky smile, the demon was in the room as well, standing somewhere behind me.

            Nearly ten minutes ago the demon had taken me out of that room and away from Kieron to take me here. My skin kept burning and I hoped Kieron wasn’t being sliced again. He was already so damn exhausted.

            “Why am I here?” I asked.

            “How strong is your bond with the perpetual?” the man asked, eyes boring into me.

            “What do you mean?”

            “How strong is it? How far along?”

            I swallowed. “W-Why?”

            What did that have to do with anything?

            “Answer the question,” the guy sighed, pulling out a familiar golden blade, “or I’ll be forced to take my annoyance out on your perpetual.”

            “Stage three,” I said quietly. “We’re at stage three.”

            “There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” He tossed the blade to the demon. “Go do your job.”

            My eyes widened. “You said you wouldn’t hurt him!” I snapped.

            “I didn’t. I said I wouldn’t take my annoyance out on him – Drayden’s annoyance is another matter entirely.”

            “Don’t,” I growled, rounding on the demon, Drayden. “Don’t hurt him.”

            Drayden still wore his hood and from this angle I couldn’t see his face but I knew he was grinning. “Don’t worry,” he said, “I won’t kill him. He’ll just wish he was dead.”

            With that, he left the room. I tried to go after him but my arm was caught and I was hauled back. Growling, I spun to face the man.

            “Don’t you hurt him,” I breathed, glaring at him.

            He laughed. From this angle, when his mouth opened I caught sight of somewhat sharp teeth. “You did this,” he said, watching me. “You’re the one who bonded with him. You brought him into this.”

            I swallowed because I knew he was right.

            _It’s my fault. Kie, I’m sorry._

            “You don’t need him,” I said quietly. “You can let him go.”

            I was the one they wanted – not Kieron.

            He smirked. “You share a bond.”

            “So? You already said that! Just let him go!”

            “While you share a bond, you are of no use to us.”

            “SO just…let us go.”

            “There is only one way to break a bond,” he continued like I never said a word.

            “Oh?” I didn’t know a bond could be broken, or what it- “Shit!”

            My hands flew to my arms, rubbing up and down as hot pinpricks ran across my skin. My flesh felt hot even to me, like it was actually burning.

            “Stop it,” I growled, looking at the guy. “Stop hurting him!”

            He chuckled. “And what are you going to do about it?”

 

 

“Kie,” I breathed as I was tossed back into the room I’d been in for the better part of two days, maybe three. My sense of time was shot to hell.

            Quickly, I ran to the still form on the ground, surprised when the door shut behind me and I had no restraints. For the first time since we’d been brought here, my hands landed on Kieron and my breaths shook a little when I felt the heat rolling off of him and heard the shaky breaths.

            “Kie,” I whispered, a hand twisting in the bloody remains of his shirt. “What did they do to you? God…”

            He was so damn pale, lips dry and cracked, eyes sunken and dark. The room was smoky and blood stained the ground around him. Eyes closed and face slack like this, he looked so at peace but I had to wake him. It was a need burning within me and I had to rouse him.

            Swallowing, I rested my hand on his fevered, sliced cheek and rolled his head toward me somewhat. I wanted to shout when he did nothing to stop me, because this was Kieron and he was supposed to put up a fight. He wasn’t supposed to be so still.

            “Kie – hey, it’s me, okay? I really need you to wake up right now. I…just…just wake up. C’mon – Kie?”

            I received no response in any way. It was like I wasn’t there.

            My skin burned with rising desperation. “Kieron, wake up. Don’t…don’t give in.”

            Reserves. Poison. Running thin.

            It made sense now. Maybe it always had but my mind didn’t want to believe it.

            The poison was exhausting him – I knew that. But it was also tearing down his reserves, apparently, and he was getting worse. Weaker. That guy said that soon, something was simple as a cut on the cheek could kill him.

            Maybe I hadn’t believed it at first – or wanted to – but now, looking at him, I knew it was true.

            “Kie – Kie, wake up! Wake up, you bastard!”

            Silence answered me.

            Silence? But…

            With a strangled cry I pressed two shaky fingers frantically to Kieron’s neck. When I felt the rapid _thud-thud_ beat against my fingers, I bowed my head with relief.

            “Thank God.”

            I couldn’t hear his breaths, but as I leaned down some, hovering over him, I felt the warm rush of air slide across my face. Swallowing, I brushed back his damp bangs and pulled him toward me a little. Then I shifted somewhat so he was partially in my lap. He was surprisingly light and thin.

            “Kie…I really need you to wake up, okay?” I shook him gently. “You gotta wake up, Kie. I know you’re tired, but…Kieron, damn it, wake up!”

            To my shock, he actually groaned and tossed his head to the side somewhat, toward me.

            And when his eyes opened, despite my fear, I felt a small smile cross my face.

            “Hey,” I breathed, pulling him toward me more, settling him somewhat against my chest, trying to ignore the heat rolling off of him.

            “Hey…” he breathed back, watching me with eyes too glazed and too dark for my liking.

            I swallowed and brushed his bangs back again, allowing my fingers to linger over his forehead. If he noticed, he didn’t say anything. “You have a pretty bad fever.”

            He grimaced. “Probably…”

            “How do you feel?”

            He paused momentarily. “Like shit,” he finally sighed.

            “They said they didn’t really need you,” I said, “but they won’t let you go.”

            _And they won’t stop hurting you._

            He swallowed. “They don’t…need me but…” He paused and let his eyes fall closed briefly. “They need you.”

            I didn’t understand but I nodded just the same. As my fingers brushed across his head again, he slowly blinked his eyes open. “We’re gonna be okay,” I said quietly, even though a part of me whispered that I was _lying_ , “just…hang in there, okay?”

            He looked at me for a moment before he sighed and his eyes fell closed again.

            I knew if we were ever going to get out of here…I would have to be the one to think of something. I would have to be the one to get us out of here, because Kieron was too exhausted and out of it to even stay awake more than a few minutes, and I knew it was getting worse.

            _I’ll get us out of here, just…just hold on._


	43. Sense of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's fading. Dying. And there's nothing you can do.

Chapter Forty-Three: Sense of Time

 

 

 

Another day passed. Two bowls were put in the room – one of food and the other of water, like we were dogs or something – but thankfully no one came in to hurt Kieron or take me away. So far it stayed just the two of us in the room, me hovering over him and him mostly unconscious as that fever kept burning its way through him. It showed no signs of breaking. If anything, it had gotten worse.

            I grabbed two bowls and re-joined Kieron in the center of the room. Instantly my mouth salivated at the sight of the water and before I knew it, half of it was gone. Guiltily, I put it aside because Kieron needed it more than I did. I needed to wake him up so he could get some food and water in him. Maybe that would help the fever, but somehow I doubted it.

            Swallowing, I combed my fingers through Kieron’s damp hair. “Kie,” I said softly. “Kie, you need to wake up.” He grumbled somewhat and turned his head toward me but didn’t wake. “C’mon – wake up.” I bit down on my lower lip. “Wakey-wakey, eggs and bakey.”

            He groaned and opened his eyes. “I thought I said…to never say that again.”

            I smiled because while he was clearly still exhausted, it was the most normal he’d sounded since we’d been here. I rested him somewhat on his side, careful of his still-cuffed hands. I could only imagine how sore he was.

            “Hey,” I whispered, fingers lost in his hair, damp with sweat. Maybe I should have been relieved he was sweating – it was a sign his body was trying to heal – but it wasn’t much of a comfort. He was still far too hot and I had no way to help him.

            Except the food and water, I remembered.

            “Can you sit up?” I asked. “I bet you’re thirsty.”

            He licked his dry lips, confirming my thoughts. I helped him toward the nearest wall and watched as he positioned himself against it, back and cuffed hands against the wall. His eyes fell closed briefly before he pried them open again and glanced at me.

            I held up the bowl of water – and tried not to think about how demeaning it was to be treated like some animal. I pu the bowl to his lips and tilted it a little, allowing some of the clear liquid to spill into his mouth. When he tilted his head back and closed his eyes, I put the bowl down and grabbed the other one, which held little slices of bread. It wasn’t much but I’d been told bread could be very filling, and I hoped it was true.

            As I lifted a slice to bring to Kieron’s mouth, I found him staring at the food like it was diseased.

            “No,” he murmured, tilting his head back and away from the food.

            “Kie, you need to eat,” I said.

            “Not hungry.”

            I sighed. “How are you going to get better if you don’t eat?”

            He stared at me for a long moment, almost like he was confused, before he sighed and closed his eyes. I glared at him.

            “Don’t even think about it,” I found myself growling before I even realized why. “Don’t you even fucking do it. You’re getting out of this, okay?” I swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. “You’re not dying – _neither_ of us are dying. Do you hear me?”

            Silence.

            I swallowed again and grabbed his arm. “Kie?”

            _Please don’t be unconscious again. Not yet. We gotta think of a way out._

            He chuckled faintly, and I felt the stiffness leave my body. “Since when are you…that confident?”

            I smiled as his eyes opened and focused on me. Slowly, I lifted my hand and again combed his bangs back, mostly without thought. Kieron didn’t growl at me or shove me away or even give me an odd look – instead, he shocked me by actually leaning _into_ the touch, eyes falling closed once more.

            I swallowed and continued my movements, happy I could bring him at least _some_ comfort. However, I was troubled by the lack of animosity and the quick acceptance of my fingers sliding across his scalp, combing through his hair.

            “Kie…”

            “…Mm?”

            I ran my tongue across suddenly dry lips. “How are…you feeling?”

            _Better. Say better. You gotta get better._

            The pause was too long for my liking, and I could feel him slipping away, back into unconsciousness. “Feel…shitty. Tired…”

            I nodded even though his eyes were closed and he couldn’t see me. “How are your…wounds?”

            “Human…”

            “Yeah?” I asked, scooting closer, sitting next to him against the wall, hand still gliding across his scalp.

            “Stop…worrying about…me…” A brief pause. “Nothing…you can do to…help…”

            “Kie…”

            “Jus’…lemme sleep…”

            A small pause. I knew he was slipping, knew I was losing him.

            _Losing him._

            “It’s…It’s bad,” I whispered, a lump in my throat, “isn’t it.”

            But his head had already lolled to the side, expression serene in a sleep too deep to be considered normal.

            Feeling cold suddenly, I slid closer to Kieron and rested my head on his shoulder, my hand dropping from his hair to wrap around his other side, holding him to me.

            So he wouldn’t fall over, I told myself.

            I tried to forget the heat consuming him. I tried to ignore the way his breaths seemed to shake as they emerged from his barely parted lips. Tried to ignore the pallor of his face and the way my skin burned.

            Tried to ignore what it meant.

 

 

_“T-erry…”_

_The soft-spoken words had me glancing over, eyes prying open to find Kieron next to me, eyes closed and expression contorted. “Kie,” I breathed, scrambling upright, reaching for him._

_Cold. Cold skin. An urgent need clawed through me._

_“No,” I hissed, clutching at him, drawing him toward me. “No, don’t you dare.”_

_“S-Sorry…”_

_“Kie? Hey. Kieron!”_

_Grabbed him. Held him to me. Watched as his expression went slack. Listened to his last exhale._

_“No,” I whispered. Wasn’t real._ Couldn’t _be real. “Kie, no, wake up!”_

_No answer. Except silence, resonating and loud._

_And the burning of my skin._

 

 

“Kieron,” I gasped as my eyes flew open, heart racing in my chest. Instantly I looked over and found Kieron resting peacefully next to me, both of us still sitting against the wall, my arm still around him even though it was numb and I couldn’t feel it.

            I swallowed and sat up a little more, running my gaze over his face. Even though I could hear the faint rush of breath, and I could see the slow rise and fall of his chest, I pushed two fingers against his neck and closed my eyes at the sluggish beat which echoed in response.

            _He’s okay,_ I told myself. _He’s okay. Just a stupid dream, that’s all. He’s okay._

            And I was going to make sure it stayed that way. He was going to be okay.

            He shifted somewhat and I suddenly realized my fingers were still pressed to his neck. As his eyes began to flutter open, I brushed back his bangs and rest my hand against his forehead briefly. His _hot_ forehead. Definitely not _cold_. But not warm either…Still had a high fever.

            I couldn’t stop the grin which spread across my face as his gaze landed on me. “Hey,” I said. “Are you thirsty? Hungry? How do you feel?”

            “Tired,” he murmured, and I frowned.

            He slept so much. Was he still so exhausted even though he was barely awake anymore? What did that say about his condition?

            “Well,” I said quietly, “try to take it easy. I’m sure you’ll feel better in no time.”

            He blinked at me but said nothing.

            Anger clawed through me. “What?” I asked. “You’re gonna get better!”

            He sighed and averted his gaze. I swallowed as an eerie feeling slid through me.

            “Kie?” I whispered.

            He shook his head a little and sighed again. “Nothing. Jus’…” He swallowed and leaned his head back into the wall. His Adam’s apple bobbed.

            “I know you’re…not well, but…we really need to get out of here, Kieron. If you have any ideas…”

            His gaze swiveled toward me briefly. The look in his eyes had me growling.

            “Would you stop that? You’re gonna be okay, damn it! I’m not letting you die here!”

            Silence surrounded us momentarily as he watched me thoughtfully. I would have commented on it if it hadn’t been the most awake I’d seen him yet.

            “Why…do you care?” he asked finally, voice quiet and soft.

            I swallowed and averted my gaze. “I…just…I need your help to get out.”

            He nodded. “Okay.”

            _Except that’s not the only reason…_ my mind whispered. _Is it, Terry?_

_Shut up._

            “So if you have any ideas…” I murmured.

            “Human…”

            “Hmm?” I shifted a little closer to him because his voice was so quiet I could barely hear it, even from this distance.

            “Too…tired…”

            “I know you are, but…but…”

            _I know you’re tired but you can’t sleep. I need you to be awake for a little while. I need you to help me think of a way out of here. I need you to…_

            “Gonna…sleep…”

            “Kie-” I cut myself off because what could I say? Tell him not to sleep when it seemed to be the only peace for him? No. I knew he was exhausted and I knew he only stayed awake so long for my benefit, though how I knew that I wasn’t sure. So I kept my mouth shut and watched as he drifted off again.

            All I could do was hold him close and hope everything would be okay, because I still had no idea how to get out of here. The room had no windows and only one door, which was locked. I couldn’t break it down, either – I’d tried. Maybe Kieron could if he wasn’t so out of it, but I couldn’t.

            _I gotta get us out of here. But how?_

            I found I truly had no idea.

            I was just a pathetic, weak human, after all. How could I get us out of here? How could I…

            _How can I help Kieron?_

            Maybe there was nothing I could do. Maybe this was how it was supposed to be. Maybe this was…the _end_.

            _No,_ I told myself, _it’s not the end. We’re going to be okay –_ Kieron’s _gonna be okay._

            Why that was so important to me, I didn’t know. All I knew was the thought of Kieron dying was so absurd my mind rejected it immediately. Despite everything, I found myself caring about him more and more every day.

            And even though I wasn’t sure what any of this meant, I wasn’t ready to give it up.

 

 

Movement approached me but I kept my eyes shut tight, feigning sleep, Kieron next to me, my arm still around him. It was so he wouldn’t fall over as much as it was for me to know I wasn’t alone. I don’t know why I thought it would help, because it didn’t. My arm was grabbed and I was yanked to my feet. If I had actually been asleep, I probably would have panicked and had a heart attack or something, it was so sudden.

            As it was, I swallowed and snapped my eyes open to find a screamer standing in front of me, a sneer on its face but that didn’t surprise me. They always seemed to sneer at me for some reason. I glanced down at Kieron to find him unconscious, as usual. I wished he’d wake up but his moments of awareness were growing shorter, few and far between.

            I snapped my gaze back toward the screamer as I was tugged toward the door. “Where are we going?” I asked, surprised at the roughness of my voice. I had a skewered sense of time in this room – how long had it been since I talked last? Hours? Days? I honestly didn’t know anymore.

            _It’s not days_ , my mind chimed in, _or Kieron would be dead._

 _Shut the fuck up,_ I snapped back. _He’s fine._

_Is he?_

            I swallowed and pushed those thoughts away. Kieron might not be okay right now, but he would be. He’d be okay. I’d make sure of it, because I sure as hell wasn’t going to let him die. He might have hated me, but he never let me down. He always came through for me, even back when we first met and he was a major asshole. He still came back for me when I sealed my own fate, healed me when I needed healing, kept me alive when I was stabbed, came after me when I thought all hope was lost…

            I had to return the favor, but it was more than that. It was more than just owing him for what he did for me. It was more than feeling like I had to save him just because he came back for me on more than one occasion. It was more than that.

            He was my way out of here, I was sure, but that wasn’t why I wanted to help him. I didn’t want to help him because I felt like I _had_ to. I wanted to help him because I _needed_ to. There was this urge growing within me, leaving me exhausted and frenzied all at once, because on some level, I knew he wasn’t in good shape. I knew he was fading. I knew he was fading away and there was nothing I could do about it. Even so, I fought this knowledge because this wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

            He was immortal – he shouldn’t have to worry about dying. I shouldn’t have to worry about him dying.

            Yet I was and it was a possibility I was having trouble accepting. Despite my previous anger toward him, and maybe even a bit of hatred, I did not want this to happen. I didn’t want to see him in pain, and I definitely didn’t want to see him dying.

            I worried, though, because if my mind rejected the thought so much right now, how would it react if he-

            _No._

            I shoved the thought away violently, shaking my head as though to clear it from my mind.

            _He’s not dying. I won’t let it happen, damn it. He’s gonna be fine._

            “Move,” snarled the screamer, and I was shoved forward, toward the door.

I realized I had been shuffling along, slowly, lost in my thoughts but now I snapped my gaze toward the door. As it was opened, I glanced back toward Kieron but he hadn’t moved. I wasn’t sure why I thought he would, but I couldn’t ignore the disappointment I felt when I saw him exactly as I’d left him.

 _Get up,_ I wanted to snarl at him. _You asshole, get the fuck up! You’re stronger than this, damn it!_

But I knew everyone had their limits. Maybe Kieron had finally found his.

I was pushed through the door and into the dimly lit hallway. I had no restraints but the screamer’s tight grip on my arm not only told me I’d be having bruises later, but that trying to escape would be futile.

I did struggle a little, though. The grip merely tightened and left me wincing. Eventually I gave up because I needed to save my strength. I needed a clear mind and strong body if I was going to get the two of us out of here. I hadn’t the faintest idea _how_ I was going to get us out of here, but I knew I at least had to try.

And I had to succeed, because failure would mean Kieron’s death, I was sure. I would not be responsible for his demise. I wouldn’t let it happen.

I wasn’t sure if it was because of the bond or because I didn’t want to see anyone die on my account, but either way, I knew I had to try because I couldn’t let this happen, damn it. I couldn’t let him die.

He might have been an asshole from time to time, but he came through for me when it mattered. He cared. He cared about me, whether he’d admit it or not, because he could have just left me to die. He could have left me to die when I sealed my own fate. He could have ignored me in the first place and let them catch me instead of taking me to Ethereal. He could have killed me that night in the woods, but he didn’t.

That had to mean something.

“Where are we going?” I asked again, a few minutes later. I tried to remember my way down the hallways but it was so dimly lit I had trouble differentiating one hallway from the other.

“The Master will see you now,” the screamer surprised me by answering. I was shoved through a doorway and left alone. When I turned and tried to open the door again, I found it to be locked, though I wasn’t sure how unless it was from the outside, but that made no sense.

Sighing, I turned to find myself in a large, lavish room. Unlike the hallways, this room wasn’t dimly lit. In fact it was pretty bright, with a fire place on the far side of the room, lighting and warming the room quite nicely. I could feel the heat from here, even though the room was large and I was rather far away from it. Swallowing, I found myself moving toward the fire without thinking about it, as I’d been in that cold, damp room for some time now.

Kieron was still there. He was going to get sick he never got moved. That was the last thing we needed – he was already weakened.

There was a table near the fire. I turned my attention on it and found it holding two plates of food, along with silverware. I stared because it had been a while since I’d seen anything nearly humane in this place. This was so casual I almost thought I was dreaming, or had just woken up from a nightmare.

The door to the room opened again and I spun, glaring at the figure who entered the room. The figure stepped out of the shadows and approached me with a comfortable, confident walk. Even before a cocky smile lit up their face, I knew this was the man in charge.

I knew this was the guy who called out a hit on me in the first place, and then had Kieron be tormented as he had.

This was the Master.


	44. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your fork skills are a little lacking, but it gets the job done.

Chapter Forty-Four: Escape

 

 

 

“Hello, human,” came an unfamiliar voice which sent chills immediately rushing down my spine though I wasn’t sure why. The voice wasn’t cold or heartless. It wasn’t cruel like the demon’s. It wasn’t angry like the screamers’. There was just something _off_ about it which left me backing up as the figure stepped toward me again. “There is no need to be afraid. I merely wish to talk. Please, sit.” With a wave of his hand, he gestured at the table.

            I stared at him as he came toward the table. He looked normal enough, with bright brown eyes and dark red hair. There was nothing particularly sinister about him. Had I not known he was with the screamers, I might have thought him an ally and asked him for help. As it was, I watched as he sat at one of the two chairs at the table. Then he lifted his brown eyes toward me, blinking patiently.

            I swallowed and finally sat down in the empty chair, across the table from him, thankfully. I did not wish to sit anywhere near him and this was close enough. He began eating and I experimentally poked at my food with a silver fork. It seemed human enough, and not poisonous or anything, but I wasn’t from here so I had no idea what was poisonous and what wasn’t. I mean – gold was poison to Kieron. That in itself was odd.

            “The food won’t bite you,” said the guy. “Eat your food. We have much to discuss once you are finished.”

            I swallowed and brought a piece of the odd-looking meat to my mouth. To my surprise it actually tasted pretty good. It was cold and not hot, but that didn’t seem to matter to my taste buds because they demanded more, and before I knew it, my plate was empty. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was. If I was this hungry, I could only imagine what Kieron felt like.

            Then again, he never wanted to eat. It wasn’t helping him at all that he wasn’t eating. It was just making him weaker.

            I shoved the thoughts away and stared down at my empty plate. The figure got up a moment later. “Would you care for a drink?”

            I shrugged. My mouth was dry from the food but I wasn’t sure I trusted the drink. Even so, he turned away from the table and walked toward a smaller table across the room, which had various bottles positioned on it, along with fancy glasses. I stared at his back momentarily and then quickly grabbed my fork and tucked it away in my pants, careful it wouldn’t fall and careful it wouldn’t show. By the time he turned back around, the fork was safely hidden away.

            He approached me and handed me a glass of some frothy purple liquid. I frowned.

            “Go on,” he said, “it’s not going to poison you.”

            I sighed and grabbed the glass. I took a small sip and then sighed at the warm taste. It burned a little on the way down but otherwise was fine. Some kind of alcohol, maybe? Was there alcohol in Ethereal? I had no idea.

            “I merely wish to talk, as I said. You need not be so tense.”

            “Are you kidding me?” I barked out. “You’ve been trying to have me killed! I’m hunted because of you! And Kieron…!”

            “You misunderstand me,” said the guy, watching me. He looked a little young to be calling all these shots, but I knew appearances could be deceiving here in Ethereal. For all I knew, he was a perpetual like Kieron.

            _No, not like Kieron,_ I corrected myself. _Kieron is definitely not anything like this asshole._

            Despite the calm tone of his voice, I knew I didn’t trust him. _Couldn’t_ trust him. There was just something about him which immediately had me on edge even though he hadn’t really done anything to cause such a reaction. He’d been rather nice, considering.

            “I do not wish for you to be killed,” he said. “At least not anymore.”

            “Why not anymore?”

            He shrugged slowly. It was odd, seeing those boney shoulders lifting lanky arms. “Things change, as you well know. I have need of you.”

            “And you didn’t before?”

            “Something like that,” he said. “As it is, you are important to a lot of Etherians.”

            “People keep saying that,” I sighed, shaking my head, “but I still have no idea what that means. _Why_ am I important?”

            What was so damn special about me that I was being hunted? What was so important about me that people felt the need to come after me and hurt Kieron? I didn’t understand.

            “You do not understand our ways,” sighed the man. “That is fine, you are human and therefore do not know much of our kind.”

            “Your kind?”

            Did this guy always talk in riddles or was I just lucky?

            “Perpetuals, if you will,” said the guy. “I am sure Kieron has filled you in?”

            I nodded. “Yeah, I know what perpetuals are.”

            “Good. However, being in charge of others always has consequences, and risks, I’m afraid.”

            “Okay…”

            “And it is not every day a human is able to see our kind. It is not every day a human is chosen to be combined with one of us.”

            “Combined? You lost me. What?”

            I suppose I should have been glad this guy was at least attempting to answer my questions, but he wasn’t doing a very good job of it and it had been a long day – long few days, actually – so I was little cranky. I didn’t want to deal with all this crap.

            “You know of the bond, yes?”

            “Yeah, sure.” I paused. “I was told it was important and that I apparently complicated things by bonding with Kieron.”

            “This is true,” the guy told me, nodding slowly.

Dark red bangs dipped into his face and he didn’t bother blowing them away from his eyes. Normally this didn’t bother me – Kieron’s bangs did it too, as did mine – but the way his hair fell over his eyes, casting shadows across his face…it left an ominous feeling in my stomach which formed into a tight knot of potential dread. Something about this guy was just _not right_.

“You have complicated things by bonding with the perpetual,” he told me. “I preferred you when you were attached to no one.”

“Gee, sorry to disappoint. Guess you need someone else, huh? So why don’t you just let us go, and-”

He laughed faintly. “A joker,” he said, nodding. “I like that. However I’m afraid it is not that simple, human. While it complicates things due to the fact you have bonded with the perpetual, it is not a deal breaker. There are ways of severing bonds, you see.”

Suddenly he was right in front of me, his hot breath misting across my face. I swallowed and staggered back a step, tipping over my chair in the process. He smirked and shook his head.

“Bonds are important to Etherians,” he continued, reaching out to grab my chin. I growled but didn’t step back again, mostly because I would be tripping into the fire place if I did so. He lifted my head and swiveled it this way and that, watching me intently. “Bonds unite two entities, two separate entities. In some cases, even more than two, but that is rare and we shall not discuss it as it does not concern us.”

“Three?” I swallowed. “So you can bond with me as well as Kieron?”

Maybe if so, Kieron would be ‘needed’ as well and they would stop hurting him. It wasn’t much but it was all I had right now.

“I do not wish to share my bond with anyone,” the guy said with a sneer forming in his voice even though it didn’t really show much on his face. His lips tightened into a thin line as he shook his head. “As it is, I have no need of the perpetual. I only have need of you, and you’ve gone and complicated things.”

“Sorry,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Maybe I wouldn’t have done that if people weren’t _trying to kill me_ every step of the freaking way, you know.”

“I do apologize for that. They misunderstood me. I never truly intended to have you killed.” A brief pause as he cocked his head to the side thoughtfully. “Although there was a time when I thought it best to have you eliminated, but I have them no explicit orders to kill you. At best my orders were to bring you to me.”

I scoffed. “Your orders fucking suck, you know that? Why the hell am I so damn important to you people?”

He blinked at me. “You do not realize what it means to have a human come here after all these years. You can see us, human. I know that might not mean a lot to you right now, but to us it’s a big deal. Has Kieron told you nothing?”

“Very little,” I hedged, “but he’s been kinda busy, you know, _keeping us alive_.”

The guy chuckled, eyes focused on me. “I can understand how survival comes before questions, I suppose. However it is a moot point now, don’t you think?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, not liking his tone. He was hinting at something and though I wasn’t entirely sure what it was, I knew I didn’t like it – _wouldn’t_ like it.

“While it does complicate matters that you have bonded with him, that is not, as I said, a deal breaker. There are ways to break a bond, though that process, too, can be complicated. Especially when it involves a perpetual.” He walked around me, eying me up and down as though sizing me up, and I glared back. “Of course, I do believe the blade makes it easier, don’t you think?”

“What are you talking about?”

A smirk wormed its way onto his face. “You know, before that blade, it would have been nearly impossible to sever a bond with a perpetual.”

“Oh? Why’s that?” I took an uneasy step back when he stepped toward me again. I had very little room to move, though.

“The best way to completely sever a bond,” he sighed, reaching out to grab my chin again, lifting my head so my eyes locked onto his, “is to kill the unwanted party.”

I jerked away from his hold, glaring. “So, what? You plan to just _kill_ Kieron?”

“Something like that,” he said with a nod. “He is almost ready, you know. It wouldn’t take a lot. Just a little slice.”

“You fucking touch him and I’ll-”

“What?” he cut in, voice suddenly sharp and not calm like it had been. “You’ll what? Human, you are _nothing_ compared to our strength, do you understand? You are only alive because I wish for you to be. Don’t make me change my mind.”

I swallowed. “If you were gonna kill me, you would have done it already. So obviously you fucking _need_ me, and I refuse to go anywhere near you if you fucking _hurt_ him again.”

He chuckled, the sharp tone suddenly gone. “You speak as though you have a choice. But, you see, I need this done as soon as possible. As we speak, Drayden is to dispose of that nuisance.” He peered at me through his bangs. “Do you feel anything yet?”

I snarled and shoved at him, managing to actually push him back a step. “Don’t you fucking touch him,” I snapped. “He’s done nothing wrong! You don’t need him so you can just _let him go_!”

He laughed. “See, that is where you are wrong. I don’t need him, that is true, but if I just release him, he still poses a problem. The bond would still be with him, you see. And I can’t have that. He sealed his fate the moment he bonded with you, human.”

I growled and lunged at the guy, surprised myself at the movement, but he easily sidestepped me and I swiveled back around to find him watching me, lips smoothed into a thin line of disappointment. For a long moment we stood staring at each other, and that knot in my stomach kept growing, leaving me feeling somewhat queasy. I had to stop this. Had to…

“Can I see him before you…” I swallowed, unable to believe I was actually speaking these words. “Before you kill him. Just for a moment.”

He eyed me momentarily. “And why should I?”

“Because I’ll…I’ll go with you willingly if you…if you just let me see him for a moment. Alone.”

“Alone?”

“To, um…s-say goodbye.”

_I can’t believe I’m fucking saying this shit._

He watched me, frowning.

“Please,” I said quietly. “Then I’ll go with you willingly, just…just give me this.”

Finally, he sighed and shrugged. “Why not? I am not a cruel perpetual. You have five minutes and five minutes only. Do you understand?”

I swallowed and nodded quickly. “Yes, I understand.”

 

 

I knelt next to Kieron, watching as the screamer left the room, shutting the door behind it. I knew it was still there, though, just outside the door, waiting, probably counting down my time. Quickly, I grabbed Kieron and leaned him away from the wall a bit, focusing on his cuffs. I pulled out the fork I managed to hide, and began working on getting those stupid cuffs off him.

            “Kieron, if you can hear me, now is a really good time to wake up, okay?” I whispered as I stabbed the fork into the keyhole of the cuffs and twisted. So far nothing was working, but I kept trying. “I mean it, Kie, I really need you to wake up. Like _right now_. Kie?”

            Silence answered me and I growled because I didn’t have time for this, damn it. I stabbed at the cuffs again.

            “C’mon, _wake up_! You gotta wake up, damn it! Kieron!”

            Fuck, how much time was left? I didn’t know.

            “Kieron, c’mon, wake up. Wake up. _Wake up_! Do you fucking _hear me_? Wake up! You gotta wake up right now, damn it, I need you to fucking _wake up_!”

            There! Finally!

            The cuffs slid away from his wrists and I settled him back against the wall. Then I turned my attention to his face, at the pallor of his skin, the sweat beading his brow and the sunken rings around his eyes. “Kieron, please,” I whispered, biting down on my lower lip. “You gotta wake up, okay? I can’t do this alone. They’re gonna…Kie, c’mon. If you don’t wake up they’re gonna…Kieron!”

            I grabbed his shoulders and shook him somewhat harshly, but I didn’t care because he needed to wake the fuck up _right now_. Time was running out and if I didn’t wake him up by the time the screamer came into the room to get me…

            “Kieron, _damn it_ , you’re better than this! _Wake the fuck up_!” Fingers curled into the tattered fabric of his blood-stained shirt. “Wake up, c’mon – _Kieron_!”

            Silence. Time was running out.

            “Kieron, _please_ …you gotta…you gotta wake up, okay?” Shook him again. Continued shaking him. _Would_ continue shaking him until he woke up. “Snap out of it. C’mon. Wake up! I know you’re tired but you can’t….you gotta wake up! Kieron!” Angrily, I allowed my palm to swipe across his face, a resonating slap echoing through the room.

            To my shock, his eyes actually snapped open. “W-What…?” he murmured, looking around, before his gaze landed on me. “Human?”

            “Hey,” I said quietly, smiling at him. “Hey, you’re awake. Look, Kie, the cuffs are off, okay? I…I know you’re tired but I really need you to help me, okay? Kie?”

            He swallowed. “Don’t know…how much help I’ll be.”

            “Anything is fine, okay? Just…just don’t go to sleep. There’s a screamer outside the door and he’ll be in any minute to get me, okay? Together we can take him out, right?”

            He blinked at me. “They’re strong.”

            “I know they are, I just…we gotta get out of here. If we don’t, they’re gonna…they’re gonna kill you, okay?”

            A brief pause as he sighed. “Why…do you care?”

            “Why? _Why_?” I shook my head. “As many times as you’ve come back for me…and you have to ask me _why_?”

            He watched me momentarily before a slow, tired smirk overtook his face. “Not because it… _didn’t_ mean anything?”

            I smiled. “Yeah,” I whispered, “something like that.”

            The door to the room slammed open, bouncing off the wall, and I snapped my head toward it to find the screamer stepping into the room, eyes latching onto me. “Time’s up,” it said.

            I bit down on my lip and looked back Kieron. “Okay?” I mouthed to him, and he sighed in response, giving into a slow nod.

            I got to my feet and faced the screamer, fork held lightly in my right hand, which was somewhat hidden behind me. “Okay,” I sighed. “I’m ready.”

            It nodded and reached out to grab my arm. I took a breath and steeled myself.

            Right when its clawed fingers were about to wrap around my arm, I jerked sideways, away from its hold, and brought my arm around angrily, the prongs of the fork stabbing into its elbow. Even though it barely broke the skin, the screamer growled and tore away from me, holding its arm. It was still a bone, after all – it had to hurt at least a _little_.

            Quickly, I turned back to Kieron. “C’mon,” I said, bending down to grab his arm and help him to his feet. I just had to hurry and get him up, and then we could face the screamer together.

            My arm was grabbed and I was roughly tossed across the room, where my shoulder slammed into the wall. Groaning, I sat against the wall, holding onto my now-aching shoulder and watched as the screamer came toward me, a snarl on its face.

            “For that, human,” it seethed, “you will pay.”

            “You need me,” I gasped as a clawed hand snagged at the front of my shirt and lifted me off the ground.

            “Accidents happen.” Its other clawed hand lifted and swiped through the air, toward my neck, and I didn’t even have time to panic.

            The pain never came, though – instead I was dropped to the ground as the screamer was shoved from behind, and Kieron stood there growling, clawed hands slick with the odd blood from the screamer’s back. I scrambled to my feet.

            “Kieron,” I breathed, because it was the most alert I’d seen him since we’d arrived here. Dark blue eyes shot toward me before he looked back at the screamer, growling.

            “Run.”

            “Kie-”

            “ _Now_.”

            I stared at him momentarily and then darted away from him, searching the ground for that forgotten fork. It wasn’t much but it was all I had, and there was no way I was leaving him alone to fight. He was already weakened and exhausted and a part of me was surprised he was even standing on his own.

            The eerie laugh of the screamer had me shivering as I finally snagged the fork and turned back to face the two of them. Kieron’s hair had grown shaggier and darker, and his ears were more pointed. He looked a little unsteady on his feet but otherwise looked ready to kill something – and that was just from looking at his back. I could only imagine the way he was growling and glaring at the screamer.

            “I see you’re not quite dead yet,” said the screamer.

            “Sorry to disappoint,” Kieron growled in response, hands flexing at his sides, claws sharp and ready to attack.

            “Not disappointed – just means I get to kill you on my own.”

            The screamer lunged forward.


	45. Escape, part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The actual escaping. And Kieron has a secret.

Chapter Forty-Five: Escape pt 2

 

 

 

Kieron snarled and met the screamer head-on. I watched as they collided and hit the ground in a rage of claws. I held the fork tightly in my grasp, unsure as to what I could do. If I charged in and attacked I could either accidentally hit Kieron or I could distract him. At the moment it would be a horrible idea to distract him.

            Despite the quick movements I knew it was a strain for him. His movements were beginning to slow and I growled when the screamer landed a blow to his side and sent him flying back. Kieron staggered and hit the wall, a smear of fresh red blood staining the wall in his wake.

            “Kieron,” I breathed, moving toward him. I latched onto his arm and tried to drag him toward the still open door. “We need to go.”

            The screamer hissed and lunged toward us. Kieron shoved me away just as he was slammed into and ripped away from the wall. As I pulled myself away from the wall, Kieron managed to get in a decent hi, claws raking down the side of the screamer’s neck. Discolored blood oozed free as the screamer staggered back and snarled at the blue-haired immortal. As it charged forward again, I think Kieron surprised both the screamer and myself by sidestepping the oncoming attack with a certain speed and agility his previous tired movements let us believe he didn’t possess. Before I could blink, Kieron snagged the screamer and used its own momentum against it, slamming it face first into the wall.

            There was a sickening crunch and the screamer fell to the ground in a crumpled heap.

            When it didn’t move, Kieron turned and faced me, panting. “Let’s go,” he said quietly. He grabbed my arm and led me out of the room.

            “Are you okay?” I asked. “That was amazing!”

            He grunted. “Don’t expect it to happen again.” A breath. “We need to get out of here.”

            I nodded. “Do you…know how to get out?” I asked, shamed I didn’t know, but I really had no idea.

            He paused briefly, an inhuman glow in his eyes. “This way.” He started walking down a new hallway.

            “How do you know?”

            “Smell fresh air. Keep up.”

            I jogged until I was next to him. For a guy who previously couldn’t stay awake for more than a few minutes at a time, he was moving pretty fast. If it weren’t for the blood covering him and the way he’d occasionally pause and sigh, I wouldn’t have thought he’d been just a still form on the ground earlier.

            For a few minutes we walked in silence. He occasionally staggered but otherwise kept a steady pace. I was a little confused about how he knew where to go but didn’t question it and instead chalked it up as a perk of being a perpetual. After all, when he changed – or whatever it was he did – he _did_ show animalistic features.

            He suddenly stopped and held me back, pressing a finger to his lips. I nodded and kept my mouth shut. He took in a slow, quiet breath and then darted around the corner into a new hallway. There was a brief snarl, a sickening thud, and then silence. Swallowing, I held only my fork tightly, and nearly stabbed Kieron in the face when he poked his head around the corner. He scowled at me and I smiled because I found I actually missed that expression.

            “Sorry,” I whispered, and he rolled his eyes and stepped toward me.

            “You’re holding it wrong,” He sighed, and slipped his hand over my own briefly, taking the fork from my suddenly loose grasp. He twisted it somewhat and then shoved it back into my hand. I held tight to it as he pulled his hand away and took a step back. “Dunno how much good that’s gonna do you, but you should hold it right anyway.”

            “Okay,” I breathed.

            He nodded, watching me momentarily, before he turned and stepped around the corner, waving his hand so I’d follow him. I tried not to look at the body on the ground as I stepped over it.

            “Screamer?” I asked quietly.

            “No,” he said, “thankfully. Just an Etherian.”

            I swallowed. “You killed him?”

            He stopped and glanced at me. “Considering I’m not in the mood to give a damn, yeah, he’s dead. Okay? Can we go now?”

            I sighed and nodded.

            “You can hate me when we get out of here,” he said, turning his back to me. I hesitated momentarily but then followed after him.

            We walked in silence for a long time. My sense of time was still shot to hell. Finally Kieron smiled and faced me.

            “Almost there,” he said.

            I couldn’t help but smile back. “Yeah? Almost out?”

            _Almost free? Safe?_

            He nodded, still smiling. “Yeah, just around the corner.” A pause as the smile slid away. He cocked his head to the side thoughtfully and then frowned. “Two by the exit, though.”

            “Screamers?” I whispered, hoping I was wrong. I just wanted to get out of here.

            Another pause. “One of them is.” He sighed and combed his fingers through his dirty, disheveled hair. I tried not to look at the raw bruises around his wrists. Then his sharp blue eyes settled onto me. “If you want to get out of here, you’re gonna have to do what I say, when I say it. Understand?”

            I swallowed and nodded, gripping the fork tightly. I doubted it’d do any good in a fight, but it made me feel better just the same.

            He took in a slow breath and nodded, watching me. “If you see a chance to get out, you take it – do you hear me?”

            “But-”

            He narrowed his eyes. “I mean it. Do you fucking _hear_ me?”

            I sighed and nodded.

            _But I won’t leave you,_ I told myself. _I’m not leaving without you._

            He nodded again and then took in a slow breath. “Okay. Here’s the plan.”

 

 

I took in a slow breath as I walked down the narrow, dark hallway. While I couldn’t exactly see them yet, I could see the glow of inhuman eyes as they latched onto me and narrowed. I released my breath slowly, calmly, and forced a smile.

            “H-Hey,” I said as the screamer approached me. “I was just, um…I got lost.”

            _That’s lame_ , my mind told me.

            I promptly told it to shut up.

            The screamer stepped out of the shadows with a sneer. Claws latched onto my arm and it took all I had not to immediately jerk away.

            “What are you doing on your own?” Eyes narrowed. “You’re not trying to escape, are you?” The grip tightened and I winced.

            “No,” I said. “Of course not. Like I can see anything in all this freaking darkness. I just got lost, that’s all.”

            “You smell of your perpetual.”

            _Again, he’s not_ my _…wait, did he just say smell? Kieron has a_ smell _now?_

            “Um, y-yeah, I…was just visiting him.”

            “And where is he now? You reek of him, human.”

            I swallowed and tried to calm my racing heart because I was sure the screamer could hear it. I had to keep calm if this was going to work.

            _“It’d be easier this way,” Kieron said. “But it’s okay if you can’t do it.”_

_“I’ll do it.”_

_“If anything goes wrong, I’m just around the corner, okay? All you have to do is give me a sign.”_

_“Okay.”_

            Kieron wasn’t far. He’d come if I needed him. I could do this.

            I took in a slow, calm breath. “I left him in his room. He, um…”

            “He is to be killed,” the screamer said, watching me.

            _This is it,_ I told myself. _You can do this._

            “Yeah. I was given a few minutes to say goodbye.” I was happy when my voice didn’t waver despite the way I felt all shaky inside. “I was supposed to return to the Master, but my guide ditched me.”

            Did screamers ditch their orders? Suddenly I worried I’d already screwed up. I held my breath.

            But then the screamer sighed and I could breathe again. “Fine. I will take you to the Master. He will not be pleased with your tardiness.”

            “Sorry.”

            The screamer turned back to the darkness behind him. “Alleh! Guard the door.” Then he tightened his grip on my arm again and started dragging me back down the hallway.

            As we got closer to the opening, I allowed myself to relax, if only a little.

            Suddenly there wa a clawed hand around my neck, pressing into my jugular as the screamer held me close to it. “You really think I’m that stupid?” It laughed, claws beginning to dig into my skin. Tiny drops of blood slipped down my neck. “Where’s your little perpetual? Hmm? Why don’t we have him come out to play?”

            “No, he’s not here,” I gasped, clawing at its hand but it had a hell of a grip. My breaths staggered as it kept tightening its hold.

            “Is he here?” The screamer rounded on the opening and I breathed out a relieved sigh when it was empty.

            I wasn’t sure where Kieron was but somehow I knew he wouldn’t just leave me.

            “Perpetual! You better come out – I’ve got your pathetic little human. I’d hate for there to be an _accident_. Or maybe you don’t care?” Now the screamer laughed, a sound which sent chills down my spine. “Caring isn’t your strong suit, is it, perpetual? Not for any of you. Parents don’t even care, do they?”

            I swallowed and struggled in his grasp because it was getting increasingly harder to breathe.

            “You don’t care about this human, do you? You’re not even capable of caring.”

            A growl from somewhere in the darkness. It echoed around us, bouncing off the walls, impossible to pinpoint his location. Spots began dancing across my vision.

            “Bonds are just a big inconvenience for you, aren’t they? You can’t feel the connection. You feel nothing. So why fight? It’d be so easy to break the connection, you know. So _easy_.”

            “Nngh,” I gasped, clawing at the hand around my throat as it tightened, cutting off my air completely. Dark spots began to spark across my mind.

            Another snarl from the surrounding darkness. Lower than before. Deeper. More…inhuman, somehow.

            “But you don’t care, do you?” The screamer spun us both, facing a new direction as something move behind us. “You can’t. You’re physically incapable of caring – aren’t you?”

            My lungs burned. I kicked at the screamer but my attempts at freedom were ignored. My mind hazed in and out, teasing me with unconsciousness.

            _Leggo – leggo, leggo, leggo – can’t breathe – Kieron – leggo – can’t breathe!_

            “You live a pathetic existence. Alone for eternity. Connected to no one. Unable to die.”

            “Don’t presume to know me,” came Kieron’s deep, growling voice, and I forced myself to focus as we spun to find nothing but an empty hallway behind us. “You know nothing.”

            We spun again. The hand loosened somewhat as the screamer growled at the empty hallway, and I greedily sucked in air.

            “Enough,” the screamer growled, tightening its hold again, cutting off my air. I was vaguely reminded of Rufus and his ‘surprise sex’ and it did nothing to calm me. “No more games, perpetual. Show yourself or the human dies.”

            I struggled to control the way my lungs burned for air, trying to calm my racing, frenzied heart.

            “Do you think I’m joking? Show yourself!”

            The snarl was the only warning before the screamer was ripped away from me, dropping me to the ground. I coughed and went to my knees, rubbing at my sore neck, struggling to regain my lost breath, lungs and chest burning.

            “Get up.”

            I startled because that voice sounded so familiar and yet so unfamiliar. Like something was right but wrong at the same time. I looked up to find-

            “ _K-Kieron?_ ”

            He looked so different I almost didn’t recognize him, but there was no mistaking the sharp blue eyes or the shaggy blue hair. Excuse me, _fur_. Kieron had fur. Not just his shaggy hair, but it extended down across his arms, ending at his clawed hands. The claws were super sharp, sharper than I’d seen them before, and his ears were pointier than ever. His nose seemed to have extended outward, like a muzzle. The inhuman glow in his eyes was more pronounced, shining as he looked down at me, fangs protruding from his curved mouth. I looked down his body. His clothes were still there, though tattered and bloody they were, and his feet were more that of an animal’s back legs, though he was standing upright. They were large and clawed, like paws. His hands were kind of the same, but mostly just sharp.

            “Get up,” he repeated in that same growling voice, and I jumped to my feet.

            “Kieron?” I asked again, staring. “W-Wha…? How?”

            His eyes narrowed and a snarl erupted from his throat. “Leave.”

            “What?”

            “Run.”

            “I-”

            The screamer growled and approached us. Kieron slid so he was standing between it and me. Dark, discolored eyes looked Kieron up and down. “What the hell?”

            Kieron chuckled, low and deep; dangerous. “You know nothing about me.” A low growl emerged again, and he swallowed it back down. I frowned at his back as his muscles tensed.

            “You’re just a perpetual,” the screamer snapped.

            “True – but I’m an _animalistic_ perpetual.”

            “They don’t exist!”

            “They do,” Kieron said, or growled, but I wasn’t sure he meant to say it like that. He took in a breath, ears twitching, covered in blue hair, or fur, as well. “Human. Do what I said.”

            “But-”

            I couldn’t just leave him.

            “ _Now_ ,” he snarled, muscles tensing again, ears twitching back, toward me.

            I swallowed. “I…No, I-”

            “ _Do it now_!”

            I stepped back somewhat at the tone of his voice and then nodded. There was little I could do anyway. Maybe if I ran I would find help? Besides, I was pretty sure I was a distraction at this point, and I would just get in the way. I didn’t even have my fork anymore. Kieron had taken it before I’d gone to face the screamer in the first place.

            “Okay, but…fuck, be careful,” I said before I turned and fled the hallway.

            I didn’t want to leave. Earlier he’d been so tired, but now…now I didn’t know what to think, because I didn’t even know this was possible. Even the screamer seemed shocked. That was a good thing, right? It meant Kieron had the upper hand.

            But if it was possible…and the screamers didn’t know…then why wait until _now_ to do it?


	46. Classifications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A book proves more useful thank asking questions.

Chapter Forty-Six: Classifications

 

 

 

It was dark and I was tired. I hadn’t gone too far but I’d already tripped over one too many roots and I was pretty sure my ankle was sprained or something with the way it was hurting. Night fell quickly and I was still not blessed with night vision, so I couldn’t really tell where I was going. I was pretty sure I was already lost. My sense of time was worthless but I worried about how it’d been since I last saw Kieron.

            I stopped in a small clearing and hobbled toward a tree, which I slid down as my ankle decided to give into gravity. With a huff I hit the ground and swallowed as I reached toward my ankle and rubbed at it gently. Exhaustion flooded my body, contending with my earlier spike of adrenaline.

            As time passed, I became more aware of not only the throbbing in my ankle, but also how alone I was. There could be screamers anywhere, and I didn’t know if Kieron was okay. I didn’t know where he was or how he was faring. Was he still fighting? Would he be okay? He seemed more energized the last time I saw him, but how long would it last? He’d been so exhausted recently. As much as I wanted him to be okay – be as energized as he seemed to be – I knew it was just wishful thinking. If anything it was just a spike of adrenaline, and with it would come the inevitable crash.

            I wasn’t looking forward to the crash. He’d been so tired before – how tired would he be when this was all over?

            Would he even make it to me? How long had I walked? How far?

            _You idiot, you shouldn’t have left,_ my mind sighed, and I quietly agreed. But I was useless in a fight, especially against a screamer, and I would only be slowing Kieron down. If anything I was a distraction. I was someone he had to worry about, because apparently I was wanted alive – by some people, anyway. The screamers…not so much. I got the impression they hated me and could care less if I lived or died.

            I wasn’t sure why Kieron cared either way, but I couldn’t deny the tendrils of warmth which seeped through me at the thought. I liked that he cared. I liked that he cared enough about me to at least keep me alive, even if I was a pathetic human. He’d be so much better off without me, but…

            I shut that thought down because I didn’t want to think about it. Despite how useless I was, I didn’t want to run and hide. Maybe it was what I wanted before, but now…

            Things changed. I was a part of this whether I liked it or not. I’d already dragged Kieron into this. If he was going to keep looking out for me…

            _Then I’m going to do the same for him._

            Where the thought came from, I wasn’t entirely sure, but once I thought it, I meant it. Kieron kept saving me, protecting me…and I would return the favor. I would protect him, too.

            As much as I could, anyway. It wasn’t like I really stood a chance against a screamer or anything. But I would try.

            I wasn’t sure how long I sat there, staring at the ground, at grass cold with the night breeze, and I became increasingly aware of the fact I only had on a short-sleeved shirt and old, dirty pants. I was tired, cold, and I didn’t know where Kieron was – or if he was okay.

            If I knew the way, I would go back for him. I would look for him.

            As it was I had no idea where I was. I was never the outdoors type and once this was over, I doubted I’d ever willingly step foot into a patch of more than three trees again. Hell, I probably wouldn’t ever willingly leave my _apartment_ again. After this I was going to just take it easy and relax, and…enjoy being home, enjoy the company of my friends – even though I was pissed at John and Rufus was, well…Rufus was Rufus – and talk to my brother more.

            Why did it take me until _now_ to really enjoy what I used to have? Everything was perfect! I had a stay-at-home job on the internet – though I could kiss that goodbye – some good friends, a brother with a family on the way…life was great. Now it sucked.

            All because some blue-haired immortal decided to tackle me in the woods.

            _Kieron, where are you?_

            It had been a while. How long? I didn’t know. My eyelids were drooping and it was cold. My ankle throbbed and I wanted to sleep, but I couldn’t because I had to wait for Kieron. I had to wait because he would find me – he always did. And he would find me because he was okay.

            He had to be okay. Right? I know he’s exhausted, but…

            He was okay. He’d find me soon…right?

            Time passed in a slow blur. Thought hazed in and out because I was so damn _tired_. I’d been staying up for the most part lately, keeping an eye on Kieron, watching his breathing, checking his pulse. Ever since that dream I couldn’t get it out of my head and sleep was futile.

            “Human.”

            I startled and snapped my eyes open, unaware they’d closed, and turned my head to find Kieron standing next to me. He was his usual self now, not that…whatever it was. He didn’t have blue fur all over him and he looked more human than I’d ever seen him, dark rings under his eyes, face so pale, hair disheveled and specks of blood on one cheek. The odd blood, though, not red, so it was from the screamer.

            “Kieron,” I said, jumping to my feet. “You’re okay.”

            He eyed me for a moment and shrugged. “Yeah. I guess.”

            “How are you? What happened?” I asked, stepping toward him.

            “I’m…tired.”

            “I know,” I said with a small wince. “You look…well, you look like hell.”

            He nodded and licked at his dry lips, watching me. “We need to…we have to go.”

            I nodded. “Yeah, okay…I don’t know where we are, so…you’ll have to lead.”

            He shrugged slowly. “I don’t know where we are, either.”

            “Can you get us out of here?”

            He nodded. “Yeah. I think there’s a town not far from here.”

            “Awesome,” I breathed happily. We were almost out of here! We were going to be okay, and be free, and Kieron could rest and everything would be fine.

            He sighed. “Let’s go.” He turned and started walking in a direction. “We need to hurry.”

            I nodded and quickly followed after him.

 

 

Kieron pushed open the door to an old house and we stepped inside. “Are you sure this is okay?” I asked quietly, because this was someone’s home and we were just coming inside. Kieron assured me no one was here at the moment, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t be back, and I was pretty sure they’d be pissed we just let ourselves in like this.

            “It’s fine. We won’t be here long.”

            It was as I watched him stagger down the hallway realization hit me, and I hurried after him, catching his arm as he all but fell over before he even managed to open the door.

            “Kie,” I breathed, tugging him toward me, lifting him as much as I could but I wasn’t exactly strong. He wasn’t exactly _heavy_ but heavy enough. I’d never lifted another person before. I dragged him into the room and managed to get him onto the bed, with a little help from him of course, because while he wasn’t standing on his own, he wasn’t asleep yet either.

            I watched as his eyes fluttered open, then closed again.

            “We’re stopping because you’re tired,” I whispered, “aren’t we?”

            “Sorry.”

            “No – don’t apologize, I’m sorry,” I said, shaking my head. His eyes opened slowly and focused on me. “I just…with all the, um…all that happened, I just…I guess I forgot how exhausted you must be. I’m sure it’s fine if we stop here for a bit.”

            He watched me for a moment and then offered a faint smile. “You know,” he whispered, eyes fluttering closed again, “for a human…you’re not…so…bad…”

            His breaths evened out and I knew he was asleep. Even so I couldn’t stop the smile which spread across my face.

            “Yeah,” I whispered to his still form, “you’re not so bad yourself.”

            I settled down beside him, sitting on the bed, and looked around the room for the first time. It was pretty bare, with just a bookcase off to the side, and a small table on the other side of the room with a reading lamp on it. Since there was nothing else to do – except sleep but I suddenly didn’t want to sleep even though I was exhausted earlier – I decided to raid the books.

            I flipped on the light on the table and glanced toward Kieron to make sure it wasn’t too bright. He didn’t stir and I figured he was too tired to care anyway. Next I walked toward the bookshelf and started scanning the titles on the books.

            Some of them were written in characters I didn’t understand and had no hope of deciphering, so I quickly dismissed those and continued through the shelves. A lot of them were in English, thankfully. I scanned a few random titles before I found one which caught my eye.

            _Ethereal: The Perpetuals_

            Intrigued, I plucked it from the shelf and took it to the little table, where I sat down and flipped the book open.

            _Perpetuals are a part of Ethereal’s culture and history. Created in a time of need, of war and crisis, they have become a part of this world. As of 500a.w. (500 years after war) the perpetuals are not as needed as before, and with the need for them very low, bonds have not been formed as much as they once were._

_A bond is formed between two perpetuals when they are needed to unite and connect to better the perpetual race, and that of Etherians as well. Always predetermined, their bonded one will come in due time. To start this bond, they must each carve into one another briefly, to draw blood, and must have the intent to bond._

_A bond is something every soul on Ethereal can understand. Blood is a universal pathway to bonding with another being, be it friend or foe, enemy or ally. The stage is that of blood, while the second is that of saliva. Usually this involves kissing, with the intent on furthering the bondage, or the intent of truly allowing this to happen. This does not always work at first because bonding is new to perpetuals. A lone perpetual can go their entire lives without ever bonding. When it is predetermined, however, they must bond with another and this is seldom wanted. Until the two involved can really open up to each other and accept the bond, or the desire and need to bond, the bond may not work. The stages may not work._

_Once stage two is complete, the bond is well on its way. Many perpetuals do not go further than this stage, as the third stage would be a commitment they are not ready to handle. Perpetuals are solitary beings and seldom wish to be around others for very long, let alone bonded to another being._

I swallowed, reading the words, and glanced briefly at Kieron. Kieron was definitely solitary – he wanted nothing to do with me at first, and for the most part, he was alone. We both were. It was obvious he had friends, like Ashere and Lehane, but for the most part, it seemed he was alone. For a perpetual, he was probably alone a lot. After all, unless he connected with other perpetuals, everyone else around him would eventually die. Until recently, he was unable to die, and thus would, again, be alone.

            I sighed and kept reading, skipping down a bit.

            _While perpetuals bond and are tied to one another by the ancient uniting of souls, there is no love to be found there. Perpetuals were not created, initially, with intentions of love. While they can be tied together, there is no spark as there is with other Etherians. Parents cannot even love their children, because the drive to initially care about new life is not there. While it is true perpetuals can have friends, there is no love there. If anything, it is simply a connection between two beings of the same race, and is mostly from a sense of duty that they even connect with others at all._

I sighed and scrubbed a hand over my face. I could vaguely remember Kieron telling me a lot of this stuff, but to read about it, about so much more than he told me, had me a little on edge. If he didn’t care – _couldn’t_ care – then why did he keep coming after me? Was it all just some game to him? Was it just out of a sense of _duty_? Pity?

            I skipped down a bit and read on.

            _There are three classifications of perpetuals. Each perpetual will fall into one of these categories._

 _The first of these categories is that of the_ bulshevek _, or “higher one”. These perpetuals are in the know, so to speak. They are usually authority figures and were needed a lot in the last war, a guiding force for the other classifications. They generally have an intuition, an instinct, about what is happening around them, and, for the most part, are seen to have all the answers. This intuition, bred from some of the first perpetuals to ever walk on Ethereal, has strengthened over the years and gives them an edge over their counterparts, the other categories._

 _The second of these categories is that of the_ mitagosh, or “he who learns”. _These perpetuals love to learn new things; they thrive off of it. Often they will travel to Earth and collect data on the humans. They are usually the first to inform Etherians if there is a war on Earth. They often serve as scouts, and while they can be quite dangerous if provoked, for the most part they wish for peace. They simply wish to learn. Because of this, they often serve as informers to the_ bulshevek _. Perpetuals are not social by nature, but the_ mitagosh _are the ones most likely to attempt to connect with others, and are used often in the bonding process._

 _The third of these categories is that of the_ mikaren _, or “he who fights”. These perpetuals are seen to be ruthless and strong, also agile. They are very seldom seen with others, as they do not normally get along with other beings, even other perpetuals. These perpetuals were created with the sole purpose of war in mind. When the war broke out 700 years ago, the other two categories simply were not helping – both of them did not wish to fight. To compensate, a third type was created purposefully. These perpetuals are certainly the most dangerous, but are far less in the know, so to speak. Many Etherians worry about what might happen if the_ mikaren _learn of things to come, like the_ bulshevek _._ _Often, this type of perpetual is stationed near a gate as a_ ruunshik, _or “he who guards”. They are often called a gatekeeper. Their job is to guard the entrances which lead between this world and the human world. They are the greatest ally in a war because they do not feel pain as the other types do. They were created to be killing machines, and integrating them into society since the last war ended has been quite a challenge. These perpetuals have a hard time bonding with others, and are seldom asked to do so._

            I swallowed and glanced toward Kieron again. Since Kieron wasn’t in the know and was used to pain, he had to be in the third group. He was a _mikaren_. Ashere must have been a _bulshevek_ , and I wasn’t sure what Blaine was. Probably a _bulshevek_ too.

            There was so much I didn’t know. There was so much to learn about Ethereal, about the perpetuals…about Kieron.

            A part of me wanted to keep reading. A part of me was dying to know more, but the sane part of my mind finally had me shutting the book – after memorizing the page I was on – and yawning tiredly. I’d been awake long enough, and had learned a lot more than I thought I would.

            Now I just wanted to sleep.

 

 

I woke with a gasp from a nightmare I didn’t remember, and quickly sat up, eyes darting around the bright room, tendrils of sunlight poking through the window. I swallowed and my gaze caught Kieron, sleeping peacefully in the bed…the same bed I was also on…

            I edged away from him somewhat and scrubbed a hand over my face. I felt a little refreshed but also tired still. My muscles were achy and my ankle still throbbed. My stomach was growling and I had a mild headache, and my tongue was sticking to the roof of my mouth.

            I sat over Kieron and looked down at him. Unlike the sleep he’d been having back with the screamers, he actually looked peaceful and content here. It was like it never happened. His face was still very pale, and there were still dark rings around his eyes, but for the most part he looked a lot better. The slices on his cheeks were healing – finally.

            It was then I realized he hadn’t exactly been healing lately. It was clear he was starting to heal now, but why hadn’t he healed before? Was it because of the cuffs? The knife? Or was it because he’d been so tired…

            I didn’t want to think about it.

            Instead I grabbed Kieron’s shoulder and gave him a light shake. After a moment, he blinked his eyes open and peered up at me.

            “Human?” he murmured through a wide yawn.

            I nodded and grinned down at him. He looked so cute with the disheveled hair and-

            Cute?

            Damn it. Not again.

            But I couldn’t deny it. He was cute. Hot, even. And he was alive, damn it, and was getting better, and-

            “You’re taking too long,” he said with a scowl, and grabbed at the front of my shirt, yanking me down. I landed on top of him and our mouths connected in a heated kiss, lips embracing each other after what felt like ages.

            I cursed oxygen when I had to pull back to breathe properly. Then I grinned down at him.

            “What was that for?” I asked.

            _Not that I’m complaining._

            He shrugged and shoved me aside somewhat as he sat up. “You were taking too long.”

            I blinked because I hadn’t even realized I’d previously been leaning in, but now that I thought back on it, it had seemed like he’d been getting bigger…I’d been getting closer.

            “Sorry,” I breathed. “How are you feeling?”

            He smirked tiredly. “Better.”

            “Good,” I said, smiling. “I’m hungry and thirsty and I’m pretty sure you are too.”

            After all, he hadn’t eaten the bread I’d tried to give to him, and he hadn’t been invited to the ‘Master’s room to eat that dinner. He must have been starving.

            He shrugged. “You can go check the cabinets in the kitchen.”

            I paused. “Didn’t we break in? Where are the people who live here? Won’t they be mad?”

            He snorted. “They haven’t been here in a while, so I doubt they’ll just suddenly show up.”

            “How do you know?”

            “I can’t smell them very well.”

            I blinked. “Oh.”

            Right.

            Of course.

            He rolled out of bed and staggered out of the room. I frowned and walked after him.

            “I thought you said you were better.”

            “I _feel_ better. My body’s just…still tired.”

            I sighed and shook my head as we entered the kitchen. He took to raiding the cabinets while I moved toward the fridge.

            “Success!” I said triumphantly when I pulled out a bottle of water. Quickly I guzzled it down as he watched me. “Um…want some?” I asked, holding the bottle out for him, but he shook his head and went back to looking through the cabinets.

            A few minutes later, we were sitting at the table eating rhine. I found I actually missed it.

            Once we were full, Kieron walked over to a drawer and pulled out a knife. Then he turned toward me and held it out for me, handle first.

            I blinked and took it. “Um…what’s this for?”

            He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “You went after that screamer with a _fork_. It was pathetic. You need to practice more.”

            I smiled faintly. “With forks?”

            He scowled. “I was thinking with knives, but yeah, sure, why not.”

            I chuckled and nodded at him. “Thanks.”

            He frowned. “For what?”

            I blinked at him, suddenly unsure as to why I was thanking him. For the knife, right? But no, that didn’t seem right. For teaching me how to use it? No, that didn’t sound right either.

            “For…for having it not _not_ mean something.”

            He watched me for a brief moment before he let out a breathy laugh and shook his head. “Yeah, well…from forks to knives. You gotta work your way up in the world somehow.”

            I grinned at him and nodded.

            “Let’s start training again, then,” I said.


	47. Because I Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kieron can kind of be so frustrating and confusing, but in the end that might be what you like most.

Chapter Forty-Seven: Because I Care

 

 

 

While Kieron made use of the shower and I waited for my turn – I would have complained but he clearly needed it more than I did, and I hoped it would help his aching, healing muscles – I decided to return to the book. I still had so much I wanted to know – _needed_ to know.

            I sat at the small table as I had the night before, and opened it to the page I’d last read.

            _Perpetuals, while in those three classifications, also have other classifications as well. All perpetuals are born with certain abilities, such as that of agility and strength, as well as endurance and the ability to heal from fatal wounds. However, there are other abilities to be considered._

_The abilities fall under one of five categories. The first would be that of strength, more so than usual. Many of these perpetuals make a living in the human world in competitions of strength, and hold many world records. When a battle occurs, they are often put as reserves, the last defense, so to speak._

_The second category is that of shifting. Many of these perpetuals can change their form – either to look like another Etherian, or to shrink themselves, or grow. They are often used to gather information, and are usually that of the_ mitagosh _variety._

_The third is that of illusion. These perpetuals have an uncanny ability to bend the perceptions of those around them. Some believe it to be a pheromone they give off, while others believe it to be a powerful strengthening of the mind. Many of these perpetuals make their living in the human world as magicians. In times of battle, they generally stick to themselves and tend to try to stay out of the fight if possible. They are often hard to work with because one never knows when this type of perpetual might turn on them, because generally these perpetuals don’t pick sides._

_The fourth is that of animals. These perpetuals have the ability to morph, so to speak, into that of another being. Generally this includes animalistic qualities, and the most common are that of_ muzu _, or “big cat”, and the_ marakol, _or “that which is small”. The_ muzu _tend to have large fangs, claws, and often a tail of sorts. The_ marakol _generally do not fight, as their morph generally occurs when they are startled, and is more a defense mechanism than anything else. Of course, though those are the most common types, there are others. Some may take the shape of a wolf; others something bigger, and are often seen for their size or strength. Those of the wolf variety tend to have wolfish features, such as pointed ears, fangs, the vocals of a wolf, and heightened senses, scent being the strongest._

 _The fifth category is very rare, and may vary depending on the perpetual. It is that of the Highers. These perpetuals tend to have a knack for knowing what is going to happen next, and tend to be of the_ bulshevek _variety. Be it by heightened senses, more intricate brain waves, or something else, these perpetuals seem to know what is predetermined, and what must happen and what must be stopped. They are often seen as authority figures._

            I sighed and rubbed at my temples. All this reading was giving me a headache, and I was confused. Clearly Kieron was a _miraken_ , and he had wolfish features, so he also fell into the fourth category. Yet there was still something bothering me.

            If it was normal to be of the ‘animal’ variety, then why did that screamer seem so shocked when Kieron said he was an animalistic perpetual? Why did it say they didn’t exist?

            Kieron pushed open the door to the room and I snapped the book closed, glancing at him as I placed it back on the table. He eyed me. “What are you doing?”

            “Reading,” I said as I got to my feet. His face was still a little wet and his hair was damp, slicked back and dark with water. His blue shirt stuck to his chest in ways that hinted at his figure, and I quickly snapped my gaze away before he caught me looking. “You did save me some hot water, right?”

            He rolled his eyes. “Should I have?”

            I glared at him and stomped out of the room. Down the hallway I went and into the bathroom.

The room was all steamy and the floor was wet from where he just got out of the shower. A forgotten towel lay on the ground and I glanced into the cabinet under the sink to find another towel there. I yanked it out and put it on the sink for when I got out of the shower. I turned on the water and stuck my hand in it, smiling when it I felt its warmth. So he saved me some hot water after all!

I stripped and stepped into the warmth with a contented sigh. As the hot water rushed across sore muscles, I blinked when I realized my shoulder was healed. I could clearly remember the blade stabbing into me, so why was it healed? Had Kieron done it? I traced my fingers over the thin, fading white line which hinted at what used to be there, but was now all but gone.

I bit on my bottom lip. Had Kieron healed me when he’d already been wounded and exhausted? Why?

I sighed and shook the thoughts from my head. I’d ask him about it later, maybe.

I had a lot I wanted to ask him, actually.

About ten minutes later I stepped out from under the water with a heavy sigh. The water was starting to get rather cold and the steam was leaving the room, so I figured it was time to end it, despite how good it felt. It was as I was reaching for the towel I realized I didn’t have any clothes in here with me.

I chewed on my lower lip for a moment, debating about what I should do, and then sighed and wrapped the towel around my waist as I stepped onto the steamy, damp wooden floor. I edged toward the door and pried it open, water dripping down my face from my slicked back black hair, strands poking at my eyes. I wiped them aside and flicked off the water which clung to my fingertips as I moved down the hallway, toward the bedroom Kieron was in.

I knocked once then pushed open the door. “Kieron, I-“ I started, but then stopped when- “W-Wha…Kieron!”

I lunged forward and grabbed his shoulder from where he sat on the floor, near the window on the far side of the room, just under the window sill. My fingers bit into his flesh as I yanked him away from the wall, my fingers slick with blood. I looked around the room but found everything to be in order except for Kieron. Biting on my lower lip I looked back down at the pale face.

“Kieron? Kieron, hey…hey, c’mon,” I said quickly, lightly slapping at his face, heart in my throat. “Kieron – Kie, wake up!”

Everything was _fine_ earlier – what happened while I was in the shower?

His eyes slowly opened and I peered down into them as they locked onto me. “Kie, what…? What happened? You’re...”

He sighed and let his eyes fall closed again.

“Hey,” I growled, lightly shaking him. “Don’t you dare pass out on me until you tell me what happened! Kieron!”

“Had to…get it out,” he sighed tiredly.

“Get…get what out?”

“The…”

“What?”

He grimaced and opened his eyes. “I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, but…but what happened? What did you have to get out?” I asked, frowning, because I had no idea what he was talking about, or about what was happening. He wasn’t attacked, right? No. There would be more evidence, and I would have heard the sounds of a fight while I was in the shower. Plus, if it was screamers, they would have been after me, too.

“The poison,” he said with an irritated sigh, “had to get it out.”

“Get…? How? What do you mean?”

“It’s in my blood,” he sighed, closing his eyes again. “Blocking…my healing. Have to get it out.”

“Get it…? So you…you did this? To yourself?” My stomach churned and I unconsciously tightened my hold on him. “You’re…what?”

“Gonna let it…bleed out.”

“But…but…”

“I’ll be fine.”

I swallowed. “But…you just…why now?”

“Didn’t…know I had to…until now.”

“What do you mean? How could you not know?”

He sighed and shook his head slowly, and then grimaced at the movement. “Just…dunno. Tired. Talk…later.”

His expression was starting to go slack.

“O-Okay, but…you’ll be okay, right?”

“Mm…”

“Kieron?”

He didn’t answer this time, his breaths evening out. I sighed. At least he was breathing, right? He didn’t have to die to heal. The wound wasn’t that big, really – well, not compared to that sword and whatnot. As it was, there was a small pool of blood around him and now my stomach and towel were covered in it. Great.

At least he’d be okay, though.

Right?

 

 

I wasn’t sure when I fell asleep, but when I woke I found myself alone in the room. I didn’t remember climbing into the bed but that was where I now found myself as I sat up and tossed the covers back. I was still clad in my towel but my chest and stomach were clear of blood. If not for the blood still on the towel, I would have sworn it was just an odd dream. As it was, my gaze snapped toward the window, where I last saw Kieron, only to find it empty and clear of blood.

“Kie?” I called, tossing my feet over the side of the bed. I got to my feet and moved toward the door, happy it was daylight so I could see where I was going. Of course, I could remember it being dark…

How long had I been out?

I pushed open the door and stepped into the hallway. “Kie?” I called again, and startled when he appeared in front of me, clad in baggy sweat pants and a large shirt, both of which were too big for him, but he somehow managed to pull it off. His hair was damp with water and clung to his face as his eyes found mine and he stopped just short of running into me. The scent of shampoo wafted up my nostrils as I staggered back a step, swallowing.

“Human,” Kieron greeted.

I sighed. “Terry. Are you…better now?” I asked, glancing his face over. The previously healing wounds were gone, leaving behind untarnished skin. A smile slid across my face. “You look better.”

He shrugged and smiled back, surprisingly. “I feel better,” he admitted. “There’s some clothes for you in the bedroom on the table – did you see them?”

I blinked and realized I was still clad in just that towel. Ears burning momentarily, I nodded and trekked back to the room to find the clothes on the table just as Kieron told me, on top of the book I’d previously been reading. Did Kieron know about the book? What would he say? Would he agree with the words on the pages, or would he be angered? I had no idea. Surely none of what was written was new to him, after all.

I chucked the towel and pulled on some underwear, baggy tan pants, and a light green shirt. Feeling refreshed, I left the room again and found Kieron in the kitchen, cooking.

I blinked. Kieron was cooking.

I smiled and sat at the table. “So,” I said amicably, “what’s for breakfast?”

He scoffed. “Dinner.”

“Okay – what’s for dinner?”

“Truelbe.”

“Bless you.”

He rolled his eyes but there was a faint smirk on his face, which left me smiling. “It’s a type of grilled vegetable.”

“Right. Um…yum.”

“It’s good – trust me.”

“I trust you,” I sighed, and then paused because I wasn’t sure I actually did until then. There was a time when I wouldn’t have really trusted him – other than to save my life because he was his duty or something – but now…it was different. I actually trusted him – and not to just keep me safe.

It was an odd feeling, but it left a warm ball in my stomach.

“What are you so happy about?” Kieron asked with a scowl when the food was done. He put some of the odd vegetable on a plate and put it in front of me. I stared down at the brown and green vegetable, steam rising off it.

“Uh…nothing,” I said, reaching for my fork.

“After this, we’re going to practice,” Kieron told me.

I frowned and glanced at him. “…In the dark?”

He shrugged. “Enemies don’t just find you during the day.”

I sighed because he was right.

That didn’t mean I had to like it, though.

“So, um…did it work?” I asked halfway through the meal. The vegetable was surprisingly good, and I found I was really starting to like Etherian food. I didn’t know if it was because it was something new or because it was actually just that good, but either way, it was rather tasteful.

“Hmm?” Kieron asked around a mouthful of food before he swallowed.

“The, um…poison. Did you get it out?”

He nodded slowly. “Yes. It’s out. That’s why I was finally able to really heal.”

“Oh.” I looked down at my food for a moment. “How did you know you had to do that?”

“Call it a perk,” he said, but there was a distasteful tone to his voice, and I glanced up at him, frowning.

“What?”

He shrugged. “It’s just an instinct, human.”

“Instinct?”

“Yeah. A survival instinct. You know – like an animal.”

I blinked. “Speaking of that…what did you mean when you said you were an animalistic perpetual? And why was that screamer so shocked?” I stabbed at what remained of my food and stuffed it into my mouth while Kieron quietly toyed with his, fork occasionally clanging against the plate. “Kie?”

He sighed and shook his head. “It’s complicated.”

“Well, un-complicate it.”

“Human.”

“Why can’t you just _tell_ me?” I asked, dropping my fork onto my empty plate. It caused a louder clang than I thought it would, and Kieron’s gaze snapped toward me. “I mean…what’s stopping you from just saying it? Even if it’s complicated…it’d still be nice to know.”

“Why?” he asked, head tilting to the side in an adorably confused manner.

I sighed. _Adorable_. Right. Damn it.

I scrubbed a hand over my face. “Well…I mean, I know I don’t…understand…your world or…or perpetuals or anything, but…” I stopped briefly, pondering over where I was going with this, what I wanted to say. Finally I sighed and shook my head, dropping my gaze down toward my empty plate. “Just because I don’t understand…doesn’t mean I don’t _want_ to.”

I felt his gaze on me, watching me, waiting, and I kept my eyes focused solely on the plate. When there was movement next to me, I flinched and snapped my gaze up to find Kieron suddenly standing next to me, looking down at me with this odd, conflicted expression on his face.

“K-Kie?” I asked quietly, frowning, because I had no idea what to do with that expression. I got to my feet as well. “Are you feeling okay? You’re not…gonna fall over or something…are you?”

He shook his head and I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Then…?”

“You really want to know?”

I blinked. “Well, um…y-yeah.” I said I did, didn’t I? “And…I want to…help, if…if I can. I mean, I know I’m pretty, um…pretty useless, but…I mean, if you’re going to insist on protecting me, then I have to watch your back, right?”

I offered a faint smile but he didn’t return it, instead just kept watching me, and I had no idea what to do next. Maybe I screwed up somewhere along the line and he was irritated with me or something, I didn’t know. I wished I did but I had no idea what was going on in his head.

“Kie?” I whispered, stepping forward a little despite the way my heart tugged and raced. “I…Is that okay?”

He sighed and shook his head, scrubbing a hand over his face, and then spun away from me. I blinked at the sudden movement and stared at his back.

“Kie?”

“Fuck, stop calling me that,” he breathed, but it wasn’t exactly angry, just…frustrated.

I frowned and stepped toward him again, allowing my hand to rest on his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

As soon as my hand touched him he whirled around and shoved me away, eyes narrowed yet also wide, filled with an inhuman wonder, something I didn’t understand and couldn’t place, but it wasn’t like that of when he was angry. His eyes had a certain glow to them, and they certainly weren’t human, but they weren’t dangerous either. They were just…just…

“What is it?” I asked, frowning. “Did I do something wrong? Are you okay?”

He shook his head and sighed, pinching at the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. “Why.”

“Why?” I echoed, confused.

“Why do you want to know.”

“About you?”

He scowled. “About Ethereal. About perpetuals.”

“W-Well, um…okay, so, I’m being hunted and I know nothing about this place, but apparently I’m a part of it, right? So, um…yeah, I think learning about it would be a good investment,” I said quickly, almost stumbling over my words, but I got them all out without choking, thankfully.

“And the perpetuals?” he asked, watching me.

“U-Uh, well…I mean, all I’ve met so far are perpetuals and screamers, so…so I think I should learn about them too.”

“Is that all?”

“Y-Yeah.”

He sighed and shook his head. “You’re a horrible liar,” he said, and then brushed past me and out of the kitchen. I spun to watch him leave, frowning, overly confused.

I tried to trace back through the conversation, but it all seemed so random. Nothing would have made him angry with me, right? So why did he seem upset? Why did he think I was lying? Was I lying?

I didn’t want to think about it. What I said wasn’t a lie, but it might not have been everything. Even so, why did he just walk out like that?

After a moment of pondering, I sighed and left the kitchen in search of the blue-haired immortal.

I found him just entering the bedroom, one foot still in the hallway. “Kieron,” I said, jogging to catch up to him, and caught his arm before he could enter all the way. He glanced at me but thankfully didn’t pull away. “Maybe we should…talk?”

“Talk?” he echoed somewhat flatly, and I blinked at the sudden change.

“Uh, y-yeah. Talk.” I licked at suddenly dry lips. “What’s, um…what’s bothering you?”

He watched me for a long minute. “I don’t get you,” he said.

“You don’t…what?”

“Get you,” he said. “I don’t… _understand_ you.”

“Oh?”

He shrugged and I let my hand drop back down to my side. “First you say you hate me – then you proceed to not leave me behind when I ask. You’ve had several chances to get rid of me, and yet you haven’t done so.” His eyes latched onto mine. “So, human, why is that?”

“Why is what?” I asked, because I wasn’t sure I liked this question.

“You keep saying you want out – you’ve had several chances to get away from all this. You could have taken the offer you were given back with the screamers, and I am sure you would have been fine. They don’t want you dead.” He cocked his head to the side, frowning at me. “So, why didn’t you take the offer?”

“You would have died,” I murmured.

“Oh?” I shifted under his gaze. “Why should that matter?”

“Why should…?” I glared at him. “You idiot! Why wouldn’t it matter? I don’t want you to…I don’t want you to die!”

He frowned, watching me. “And why is that?”

“Because…!”

“Because…?” he prompted, and I snapped my mouth shut because I suddenly didn’t know what to say.

Why did I not want him to die?

Well, he was keeping me alive, for one thing. That was a pretty big mark in his favor.

He was also becoming more…light? He wasn’t as tight and grumpy anymore, and I felt like he might actually be letting me in for once. I didn’t feel like I was on the outside clawing to get somewhere I would never be allowed to go – now I just felt like there was a door somewhere, and all I had to do was find it, and I’d somehow have this massive answer I was searching for, but I didn’t even know what the question was.

I was confusing myself. My head hurt.

“Because you’re my friend,” I finally murmured, averting my gaze.

“Am I?”

I nodded. “Yeah. And…And I don’t want my friends to die. So I couldn’t leave you there.”

“But you could have been free.”

“It was just an illusion of freedom, at best,” I told him.

He shrugged. “But the illusion is better than nothing at all, right?”

“No.”

“No?” He seemed somewhat surprised.

I shook my head. “The illusion isn’t worth it if it’s gonna cost you your life just because you decided to help me. No, sorry. It’s not worth it if you have to die for me.”

I wasn’t looking at him, but I felt his gaze on me, heavy, calculating, watchful… I was tempted to glance at him but didn’t know how he would react to my words, so instead I just stood there, in the middle of the hallway, silent.

Then suddenly I was up against the wall, my back pressed against it and warm, firm hands on my shoulders, holding me in place. Of course, what really caught my attention was the hot mouth overtaking mine, and I wasn’t sure what to do at the moment so I just kissed back and reached out until I felt the cloth of Kieron’s shirt and yanked him toward me more. He complied and soon he was all but leaning into me, and I would have complained about the wood pressing into my shoulder blades but I really didn’t care at the moment.

He pulled back a moment later and I released a slow breath, looking at him, into his warm blue eyes, and wondered how I could have ever thought them to be cold. “What was that for?” I asked, smiling. “Not that I’m complaining.”

He cocked his head to the side again. “I don’t get you.”

“I think we’ve established that. I don’t understand you either. And…And I _want_ to,” I said quietly, as the realization hit me. It wasn’t just that I wanted to learn more about perpetuals, or Ethereal – it was that I wanted to learn more about _Kieron_ , and both of those aspects were a part of him. I wanted to know what he was like, what he’d had to live through thus far, how old he was, what his life was like…I had so many questions. I wanted to know more.

With a sigh I shifted forward a bit and caught Kieron’s lips with my own, pulling him back into a heated kiss. I was surprised this was still happening, actually. I figured Kieron would declare it unacceptable after a certain point – especially after he was basically tortured because of me, because he bonded with me – or that I would get tired of it, because kissing was great and all, but after doing it with the same person over and over…it got old. It was why I didn’t often kiss John or Rufus anymore.

But this…

This was different. It was like something I didn’t want to stop, and each time we kissed, it felt like a new experience, like there was something new to learn, a new crevice to explore, a new taste cemented in his mouth that I just _had_ to decipher.

I ran my tongue over his bottom lip and sighed when he refused to open his mouth and instead tugged his head back somewhat and stepped away from me a little, hands still firm on my shoulders but otherwise his body was away from mine now. I blinked at him.

He looked at the ground for a moment before he sighed and locked eyes with me. “I don’t know what you expect to happen,” he said quietly, words a quiet breath like he was admitting some secret no one else knew.

“What do you mean?” I asked back just as quietly.

“I don’t know what you want from me.”

“I just…just…” I pulled him toward me, tugged at his clothing, and was pleased to find he didn’t pull away. Instead he took a step toward me, still not touching, but it was a start, at least.

“What do you expect to happen, human?”

I sighed and shook my head. “I don’t know what you mean, so…”

He scowled. “What do you think is going to happen here? What do you want to happen?”

I licked at my lips, watching him. “I want you to kiss me…like you mean it. I want you to…to…admit you _care_.”

His eyes darkened, expression shuttered, and the change was so quick all I could do was stare as he tore away from me and turned, his back toward me as he faced down the hallway, toward the kitchen.

“Kieron?” I asked, reaching for his shoulder.

“I’m a perpetual,” he said flatly.

“Yeah…I know.”

“We don’t care.”

“Huh?”

“We don’t _care_ ,” he repeated with a sigh. “We _can’t_. We are incapable of caring. I physically cannot give a damn, so how the hell do you expect me to admit I _care_?”

Was that what was bothering him? Well…it made sense in a way. Perpetuals couldn’t love – the book even said as much, and Kieron himself told me so. If he couldn’t love, he couldn’t really care, could he? Yet he kept coming back for me when he could have just left me behind – when he _should have_ left me behind – and that had to mean something.

I swallowed and bit down on my lower lip, hesitating. “I know you said you can’t care. I know perpetuals can’t love, or…or whatever, but it’s not something that’s hardwired into you! It’s something you _experience_! _You_ know what you feel. _You_ know what it means, just…just tell me.” I took in a slow breath. “Okay? Kie?”

“Why?” he breathed, but his tone wasn’t nearly as rough as it was before, more quiet and subdued, and I took a step toward him so I was standing right behind him. “Why do you care so much? Why is it so important?”

“Because,” I breathed, licking my lips as I sought the words I wanted to say, but I kept coming up empty. Because why? Damn it. “Because…Because I…”

I swallowed.

_Okay. Here goes nothing. Don’t kill me._

“Because I care about you,” I finally murmured, voice quiet, more a breathy sigh than anything, but I knew he would hear it. “I…I don’t like it when you’re hurt and I hate that you think you have to get hurt for a living. I hate that you think getting hurt is no big deal, when it _is_. I hate that you had to let the poison bleed out of you last night, and I couldn’t help you _at all_. I hate that I got you into trouble and you still helped me. I hate that you fucking could have _died_ all because of _me_ , and-“

“Human.”

“Y-Yeah?” I breathed, mouth dry from my little rant. I snapped my gaze toward Kieron, who was suddenly right in front of me, facing me, eyes locked onto mine.

“You talk entirely too much. And you’re taking too long again.”

With that, he reached a hand behind my head and tangled his fingers into the disheveled locks, tugging my head toward him, and our mouths met in a deep, slow kiss.


	48. No Fear for My Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training, and a little action.

Chapter Forty-Eight: No Fear for My Life

 

 

 

“Wrong.”

            I sighed and shifted my posture a little, spreading my legs out a little further, struggling to balance myself while taking up as little amount of space as possible. Kieron walked around me, eyes roaming up and down me, then his hand reached out and latched onto my wrist. He twisted it somewhat, and then nodded to himself, satisfied as he stepped back somewhat.

            “Better,” he said, “now tighten your hold. Like I told you before.”

            I gripped the handle of the knife tightly. It was a little knife, a measly kitchen one and nothing like the ones we’d been dealing with before we’d been captured and whatnot, but at least it was something. It was definitely a step up from _forks_ , after all. I held the knife not with a rigid grip but more relaxed, yet forceful and firm, as well. When Kieron nodded instead of scowling, I felt a smile cross my face.

            I did something right for once! Hah!

            He walked around me again, and then stopped in front of me. Stepped back a few paces, watching me. Then he waved his hand for me to come forward, and I started to step toward him when he scowled and shook his head.

            “Attack me,” he said, like I should have known, and I simply blinked at him. “C’mon – this is training, human. You can’t hurt me.”

            _Pretty sure I can. I mean, I’ve seen you bleed. A lot._

            “Come on,” he said with an irritated sigh, and I knew I had to do as he said because we’d already been practicing for hours.

I’d attacked him a lot more than I wanted to in that amount of time, and had yet to be able to even knick him. Once the blade swiped into his shirt, but that was as far as it go, because as soon as I saw that happening, I dropped the knife and stepped back. He growled at me for it but I wasn’t going to hurt him.

“Pretend I’m a screamer.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re obviously not a screamer.”

“I could be.”

“Pfft. No you couldn’t.”

“Oh?” He cocked a brow at me. I envied him for that. I tried to do that and everyone laughed at me and didn’t take me seriously. He did it and it just _worked_. Damn him. “And why is that?”

“Because I’m not afraid of you.”

“Am I not threatening enough?”

I laughed even though I tried to hold it back, but I couldn’t help it. The tone of his voice mixed with that raised brow just had my stomach twisting in a fit of laughter. I don’t think he meant it as a joke, but he said it like he was somewhat offended, and I couldn’t help it.

“I don’t fear for my life, no offense,” I said, smiling at him.

He rolled his eyes, that brow lowered again. “I could kill you. Easily.” He approached me.

“Uh huh.”

“Don’t doubt me.”

“Nope.”

His eyes narrowed. “It would be easy – just a little swipe.” He walked around me, watching me, and in turn I watched him as he did so, swiveling my head toward him. “Fast, too.”

“Uh huh.”

“I could do it.”

“You could, I guess.” I grinned. “But you won’t.”

“Oh?”

“Nope.”

“What makes you so sure?” That brow was raised again.

“You would have by now.”

“Is that so?”

“Mm,” I said with a nod. “I mean, I’ve been pretty annoying.”

“Alpha, have you been annoying,” he said with an irritated sigh.

“So you could have killed me earlier. But you didn’t. And you won’t.”

“Oh? Got me figured out, huh?” he asked, stopping in front of me, and I grinned at him, nodding my head, losing my defensive grip on the knife. Not that I thought he’d attack me, I just kept it up in case he was judging me for it, but I figured resting my outstretched arm would be okay for the time being.

“Yup, I so have you figured out, perpetual,” I replied, watching him. “You won’t hurt me.”

“And why is that?”

“Because you _looove_ me,” I said in a sing-song voice, grinning as he rolled his eyes again. “Admit it, Kie – you love me. You _adore_ me. C’mon. It’s freeing to admit!”

“You are delusional. Have you suffered from insanity long?” he asked as he stepped away from me, turning his back to me as he walked back toward where he stood earlier.

“Suffered? Nah. Been enjoying it, though,” I said to his back. “C’mon. Kie. Say it. Admit it. You love me.”

“Attack me.”

“Admit it.”

“Human.”

“Kieron.”

He turned back to face me, standing where he stood earlier, and I grinned at him. He shook his head and gestured at the blade in my hand, waving with his fingers, an irritated little motion which beckoned me forward.

I sighed and looked down at the blade in my hand, then back at Kieron. “I don’t want to attack you. Don’t we have something else I can attack? You know – something with less _blood_?”

“The minute you make me bleed, human,” Kieron said with an upward quirk of his lips, “is the minute you no longer need my services.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, yeah, promises, promises. Can’t I practice on a tree?”

“A tree cannot defend itself. You wish to attack the weak and helpless?”

“It’s just a tree.”

“Which cannot fight.”

“Kie, c’mon – why are you being difficult?”

Now he narrowed his eyes at me, lips pursing together into a thin white line. “If we had time for you to start out practicing on a tree, then by all means, I would have you slay the tree. But we don’t have that kind of time. You are being hunted, human. While they don’t want you dead, they are still after you.”

I swallowed. “I know, but-”

“We don’t have time for trivial practice. You need to practice with a moving target, and all you have is me,” he said, eyes narrowed and locked onto mine, holding my gaze even as I tried to look away, because a part of me knew he was right. “So get back into position, and pretend I’m a screamer.”

I sighed and shifted back into the stance I’d been in previously, holding the knife as he’d shown me earlier. Then I took in a breath, and charged forward, toward him, hoping he’d move.

He didn’t. He just stood there.

I got closer.

He did not move.

I pulled my slash at the last minute, having the blade swipe sideways, away from him, as I came to a halt just in front of him. Grip tight on the blade, I glanced at his face to find him watching me.

“You shouldn’t pull your blow,” he said with a heavy sigh.

“You weren’t moving,” I grumbled. “You’re supposed to defend yourself.”

“And if you see a chance to attack without movement, you take it,” he told me, and I felt like I was a five-year-old getting lectured for doing something wrong in school.

“But you’re supposed to move – I mean, you did say _moving_ target. And you weren’t moving.” I narrowed my eyes at him.

He shrugged, a lazy roll of his broad yet slim shoulders, a conundrum. Or perhaps that was just my mind, infusing my knowledge of his actual strength with his actual size. His size belittled him, really – made him look smaller, less threatening, especially to people like Rufus and John, who couldn’t see him as I could. I figured Kieron probably used this to his advantage a lot.

“I wanted to see if you would do as I said,” he said, shaking his head, “and you failed.”

“Sorry, but I’m not going to cut you just because you’re having some masochistic tendencies,” I said, glaring at him. Did he really expect me to just attack him while he stood there and didn’t even both to defend himself? What the hell?

“You haven’t been trying as hard as you can.”

“Because I don’t want to hurt you!” Had he not been listening to anything I said?

“If I thought you could really hurt me, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” he said, sighing. “At the most you might slice me, but that’s it, and it will heal. Okay? Is that what you want to hear? It will heal.”

“No,” I hissed, taking a step back, “that’s _not_ what I want to hear. Have you not been listening to me? I don’t want to hurt you! I don’t care if you heal or not, I don’t want to cut you!”

He scrubbed a hand across his face, brushing back sweaty bangs, leaving a small trail of dirt on his forehead. “That is enough for today. We will train more tonight.”

I swallowed and watched as he sidestepped me and walked back toward the small house we’d been staying in for the past few days. Kieron was right; no one had returned yet, and it did seem like they were gone for a while. Perhaps on vacation. Did Etherians take vacations? Hmm. Either way, the house was empty for the time being, and it was ours. Thus far it was safe, and I knew Kieron snuck out in the middle of the night to scout the area, despite how much I wanted him to stay in the house, undetected. I knew why he did it, and I knew it was logical, but that didn’t mean I had to like it.

He usually did it when I was asleep, but I caught him sneaking out once, through the window. Had a nightmare and woke up and caught him leaving. He said he was just getting some fresh air. Hours later he still wasn’t back, but my skin wasn’t itching or burning so I didn’t worry about it too much. He was a lot better now – the ‘poison’ was out of his system and he was healing quite nicely. Kind of slow compared to the other times he healed, but it was coming along very well.

Now I watched as he disappeared into the house, leaving the door open in his wake. I sighed, scrubbed a hand across my face, and then walked toward the open doorway. My muscles ached and my head hurt. Sleep sounded marvelous at the moment, and maybe some food.

Mmm…food…

I poked my head into the kitchen and found Kieron cooking. I stared for a long moment, hiding a smile. He was a good cook, really. It was just odd, thinking of him as one. Made me laugh.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, sparing me a brief glance.

“Nothing,” I said, dropping my knife onto the kitchen table. “I’m gonna shower. Let me know when the food is done.”

“Who says I’m cooking for you?”

I just grinned at him and left the room, heading toward the bathroom. I couldn’t wait to step into the hot water and relieve some of this tension in my shoulders. Then I could eat and sleep and be refreshed and…ready for tonight.

Ugh. More training.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate it. I know it’s necessary. Doesn’t mean I like it.

I was never one for the rough and physical work, and I certainly didn’t want to hurt anyone, but it was a necessity here. Screamers might not want me dead now, but they wanted Kieron dead. They wanted everyone who got in their way dead. They’d kill them without a second thought. If I could do something, I had to stop them. I had no hope of simply overpowering them – the very idea was absurd – but maybe, by training, I could find a way to outmaneuver them. Kieron knew a lot of their moves. He also was an experienced fighter, and thus the best teacher, right?

That didn’t mean I had to like fighting him. Especially when he stood there like an idiot and refused to move or defend himself from the pathetic human.

It was as I was stepping into the shower that it happened.

I was just stepping into the spray of water when the door to the bathroom flew open and Kieron barreled in, a snarl on his face and a certain glow in his eyes I couldn’t place. I blinked at him, suddenly aware the shower curtain was not yet all the way closed. Quickly I ducked behind it and held onto its soft and damp edges.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Kieron gave me a look and put a finger to his lips. I swallowed and nodded before gesturing at the shower. The sound of water was a pretty recognizable noise. He hesitated but then nodded and I shut the water off. After a few loud drips, the room fell silent, and I nearly yelped when something was pushed into the palm of my hand.

I blinked down at the knife, the one I put on the kitchen table. In Kieron’s other hand he held another blade, similar to my own. I took my blade and nodded. I wasn’t sure what was happening but I knew it couldn’t be good, and having a weapon could come in handy.

Kieron paused and opened his mouth, tongue lapping out across his lips before it darted back into his mouth. His nose twitched and then he growled, watching the door like a cornered animal, back arched and everything, fingers now deadly claws.

The knob twisted. Rattled. Floorboards creaked.

Then the door opened. All I saw was a blue blur as Kieron dashed out of the bathroom and flew through the air, attacking whoever dared to open the bathroom door, and I’m ashamed to admit I cowered in the shower. Sorry. Remember I’m pretty naked here and I am not a fighter.

I watched around the curtain as Kieron raised his blade and slashed at his attacker. The howl which escaped whatever it was Kieron hit left me breathless, because I knew that sound.

Screamers. They found us already. They were here. How many? Just this one? Surely others would be coming soon.

With a growl I darted out of the shower and quickly tugged on some pants – fuck the underwear for now, I need pants – and then darted out of the room, gaze locking onto the screamer fighting with Kieron.

Kieron seemed to have it under control. Whatever weakness he previously suffered seemed to have worn off by now. His moves were quick and agile, graceful as he sidestepped a deadly swipe of vicious claws and used his momentum to leap onto and off the wall and back at the screamer. He twisted in mid-air and caught the screamer in the face with his foot. A small gash was left in its wake, and some odd bruising, but the screamer didn’t seem to mind the new scars.

Instead it focused its gaze on me, and I felt my stomach churn as my mind came to a stop.

It looked at me.

Right _at_ me.

“Human.”

Like it _knew_ …but knew what, I didn’t know. I knew I didn’t like it watching me like that, with those creepy discolored eyes. A slow smirk worked its way onto the screamer’s face as it took a step toward me. I took a step back just as Kieron stepped between the two of us, back to me, hands held out at the ready in front of him as he faced the screamer. In his right hand he held the knife.

“Human.”

I blinked. “Yes?”

“Run.”

“I’m not running!” Why did he keep telling me to run, then proceed to train me so I _wouldn’t_ run? Wouldn’t _have_ to run?

“Damn it, Terry, there’s more on the way,” Kieron hissed, shoulders tense, all hunched up and knotted, muscles shifting occasionally. He’d expressed a few of his wolfish features, and his fuzzy ear twitched back, listening for me.

“More? More screamers?”

“ _Yes_ , human, so run!”

“I can’t-”

“Damn it-”

Whatever he was about to say was cut off as the window in the bedroom exploded. The sound rumbled through the floorboards and left me swallowing thickly. To Kieron’s right, another screamer emerged from down the hallway from the bedroom, snarling as it stood a lot closer to Kieron than I liked.

Kieron glanced at the new screamer, ear twitching again.

“Human,” he said quietly, and I glanced at him. He was mostly just in front of me, and he was speaking softly, but I had a pretty good idea the screamers could hear him as well.

“Yeah?” I whispered back.

“Time for that tree,” he said.

I blinked at him. “Huh?”

“Human. The tree.”

_I have no idea what you are saying to me…_

“The _tree_ ,” he said, and I stared at him.

_Tree?_

Last time we talked about trees, it was when we were training, and-

“Oh,” I whispered as it hit me, and he gave a tense nod before focusing his gaze back on the screamer in front of him, ignoring the screamer to his right at the moment. The screamer smirked and stepped forward, like Kieron made a mistake, but I knew better.

Just as it was about to lunge forward and tackle him, I did the same to it. I was surprised when I managed to knock it to the ground, and wide eyes stared back at him, obviously shocked. Without thinking I rose the blade and slashed downward, managing to scrape it across the chest before it howled and threw me off. I hit the wall, winded, and then struggled to my feet as the screamer stomped toward me, odd blood seeping from the wound on its chest. It was deeper than I thought it would be but obviously wasn’t slowing it down any.

I wasn’t sure what Kieron was doing but he seemed busy. I could hear the sounds of a scuffle but didn’t dare look away as the screamer came toward me, my back against the wall. I had nowhere to go and it was watching me intently. If I tried to run I’d die. Maybe it had orders not to kill me, but the look in those eyes said otherwise. This was revenge – I surprised it, hurt it, and now I would die.

It lunged forward. I held the blade out and closed my eyes because I knew I couldn’t move, had no hope of doing so, and only hoped the knife did at least _some_ damage to it before it killed me.

The blow never came, though, and I snapped my eyes open to find the screamer on its knees in front of me. Kieron yanked his knife out of the screamer’s back and nodded at me, waving me away, and I slipped away from the wall and down the hallway, toward the bedroom. The other screamer lunged at Kieron, angry cuts across its face, and Kieron spun, growling as the knife was flung from his grasp.

“Kieron!” I tossed my blade at him.

He caught it with ease and swiped just as the screamer lunged at him, catching it across the throat. The creature staggered back, snarling, and then darted out the open door. I stepped toward Kieron when he didn’t move, and found that the other screamer was gone as well. Not dead on the ground, but gone like the other one. Maybe they really _were_ cowards.

“Are you okay?”

I blinked because those words were not my own. Focusing again on Kieron, I found him watching me. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I said. “You?”

He had a cut across his left cheek but otherwise appeared fine, thankfully. “I’m good.” There was a pause and then he sighed. “You did a good job today.”

I smiled at the praise, despite my earlier fear at the screamers’ presence. “Thanks! But I had a good teacher.”

He shrugged and turned away from me, facing the kitchen. “There will be more.”

“I know.”

“We need to leave. It isn’t safe anymore.”

“I know.”

As I stepped toward him, he slid his gaze toward me, watching me. “You seem far too relaxed for someone who could have died today.”

I smiled and shook my head. “I wasn’t going to die.”

It was true screamers were dangerous, but I hadn’t been as terrified as I had been before. I knew they were dangerous, knew what they were capable of, but I didn’t run, didn’t hesitate when slicing into that screamer, and that put me in a better mood because for once, I wasn’t some helpless little human who needed saving all the time.

“Oh?”

“Nope – because we make a pretty good team, huh?”

He scoffed and shook his head.

“Admit it, Kie – we do.”

“I am going to pack.”

With that, he left the room, neither confirming or denying my statement, and I smiled after him.


	49. Different

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not all Etherians look the same.

Chapter Forty-Nine: Different

 

 

 

I looked out the window of the place we were currently staying in. It wasn’t a house, or a cabin, or anything like that. We didn’t barge in on people, break into their home, or kick them out. Instead Kieron had a ‘word’ with the manager of this place – though what was said, he wouldn’t say – and next thing I knew, we were in a comfortable room in what seemed to be a nice hotel.

It wasn’t the Hilton or anything but it certainly wasn’t shabby either. Dark sapphire curtains lined the windows, blocking out the afternoon glow better than I would have expected. The room was pretty much dark save for the lamp on the bedside table. I was reminded of family vacations back when I used to actually enjoy being around them.

Don’t get me wrong, Tommy’s great. He’s a great brother.

My father, on the other hand…

Well…we just never saw eye-to-eye. I doubted we ever would. When I came out as gay, he had little to do with me. Half the time he tried to talk me out of it, like it was just a stage or something. I didn’t appreciate that, at all. Especially when it seemed to only lead to fights. Thus I rarely spoke to my father and avoided him if possible.

It was around then I noticed the bed. Nice, big…comfy…but there was only one of them. I blinked at it for a moment before I looked around for Kieron, only to find myself alone.

“Kieron?” I asked, and edged toward the little bathroom in the room. I heard water running inside and lightly knocked on the door. It pushed open to reveal Kieron standing in front of the sink, splashing water onto his face.

He glanced at me. “Yes?” he asked with a scowl, before he reached for a dark blue towel and dried his face.

“Um…” What was I doing? Oh yeah. “There’s only one bed.”

Not that I was complaining. It wasn’t a problem. Nope. Not at all.

“Yeah, well…” Kieron shrugged. “It’s cheaper.”

“Cheaper?” I echoed. “Are we actually paying for this? Paying money?”

Did they actually have money in Atlantis? Then again, I vaguely remembered the man who first sold us some zhin mentioning a tab of Kieron’s. He wouldn’t mention it if they didn’t have some way of paying.

“In a way,” he said, shaking his head as he turned the sink off and moved toward the door. I stepped back as he exited the bathroom. “It doesn’t really matter. We won’t be here long.”

“Where is here, exactly?”

“Zaral,” he replied, with a roll of his tongue and a certain intonation I couldn’t identify.

“Excuse me?”

“It’s a town just outside of Baranj.”

“And that is…?” Did he seriously expect me to understand any of this?

“You might call it a city,” he said with a scowl, tossing me a look. “I’m tired, human – enough questions.”

With that, he threw his shirt off and climbed under the covers. I watched as he closed his eyes and within moments, was in a peaceful sleep. I watched as his expression went slack and evened out, as that scowl slid away from his face, how the frown lines vanished as though they were never there to begin with.

I smiled faintly and moved toward the bed. The light was still on so I quietly pulled out the book from the bag. I’d barely managed to sneak it in when Kieron wasn’t looking, though I wasn’t sure he’d be pissed if he saw it. It wasn’t like he was giving me these answers, and I wasn’t bugging him with these questions at the moment, so technically he should be grateful.

I slid under the covers and opened the book. And then I paused because in that moment, I felt like a married person. Sitting next to them in bed, reading a book. All that was missing was a pair of reading glasses.

I snorted before I could stop myself, and glanced at Kieron to see him undisturbed, so I focused on the words on the page. It was mostly still about those new classifications but I wasn’t so sure I wanted to learn more about those just yet.

It felt a little wrong to be learning about Kieron like this, because surely someone couldn’t simply be judged by their classification, right? I almost felt like a hypocrite, because I kept getting annoyed when Kieron simply assumed I was like every other human he encountered, when he was simply classifying me with everyone else he knew about from the human world.

I didn’t want to think about it. I would speak to him about what I read about eventually, but for right now, I would try to learn as much as I could on my own.

 _Perpetuals are named for a reason. Their lives are literally perpetual. Once wounded, they heal rather quickly. The greater the wound, the more energy it takes to heal, and this often leaves the perpetual exhausted. The_ miraken _have been known to “die” to heal, if the injuries are severe enough. Their bodies will literally shut down and heal without the threat of movement, awareness, or even breathing._

 _All perpetuals are capable of healing this way, though the_ miraken _are the most likely to go through this process. It is painful. To heal is to essentially undo what was done to the body. As much as the initial wound hurts, the healing process is the same except in reverse. Paired with the exhaustion, sometimes the healing process might seem worse than the original injury._

_It is different for each type of perpetual._

_The_ miraken _have a high pain tolerance. Often put in situations where they must fight and be strong, pain comes easily to them and thus they grow used to this at a very young age. Some perpetuals have been known to purposefully abuse the_ miraken _when they are young to get them used to the process of pain and healing. This helps build their pain threshold so that in war or a fight, they can last as long as their bodies can hold out._

I stopped there and bit down on my lower lip, feeling a knot in my stomach. Parents really did that to their kids? Let others do that? Just so they could…what? Get used to pain?

            I glanced at Kieron.

            _Did they do that to you?_

            I hoped not, because that was just wrong on so many levels. He healed fast, and died to heal, but that didn’t mean he had to be used to pain. It was ridiculous!

            My anger at the thought he had to be used to pain returned and I snapped the book shut with a low growl. Kieron shifted next to me and blue eyes blinked open to peer at me.

            “Something wrong?” he asked through a yawn.

            I dropped the book on the ground and tried to keep the anger from my voice. “No. Everything’s fine.”

            I flipped off the light and sank into my pillow, trying to ignore the images which kept trying to consume my mind.

            Like that of a little Kieron, sliced into so he could learn what it was like to feel pain, and what it felt like to heal. A little, innocent Kieron, forced to get used to pain while the others, like Ashere, didn’t have to experience such things.

            It wasn’t right.

            _I’m sorry, Kie. I really hope they didn’t do that to you._

            The book couldn’t be right all the time, after all. Surely it had some mistakes, and it was doing a generalization. While Kieron seemed to not exactly get along with his parents, they did seem to care about him – as much as they could, being perpetuals and everything. He even had a sister who his parents talked about. Why would they bring her up if they didn’t care about their children?

            So maybe I was worrying for nothing. Maybe Kieron never went through anything like that. After all, I had no idea how old he really was – decades? Centuries? – and thus didn’t know when or how he grew up. For all I knew, he had the perfect childhood.

            Then again…probably not.

 

 

 

I woke to sunlight tickling my face, warming my skin as I blinked my eyes open. The curtains on the window were open and light shined in, brightening up the room as Kieron stood in front of the window, gazing outside. I yawned and sat up, rubbing at my eyes.

            I actually slept good. For the first time in a while, I wasn’t sore when I woke up and I didn’t have this overwhelming sense of urgency, like I had to move and run and hide. Everything was actually very normal for once. I woke feeling safe. I went to sleep feeling safe.

            It was probably because we were in a hotel-like place and there were others here as well. Therefore, if someone attacked us, there would be others to see who it was, and that was probably keeping them away for the time being. Thus, I felt safe because I wasn’t afraid of being attacked at the moment.

            Or maybe it had something to do with the fact I hadn’t slept alone.

            Either way.

            Kieron turned away from the window and smiled at me. “Finally awake?” he asked, stepping toward the bed, his bare feet flexing along the carpet.

            I nodded and looked him over. It was something I’d taken to doing since we got out of that place with the screamers and the ‘Master’. Every time I woke up I looked him over and made sure everything looked okay. The minute he looked worse than he did last time, I was going to chain him to the bed and make him rest, and force feed him soup if I had to.

            I wasn’t sure why it was so important to me, but I did mean what I said. I didn’t like seeing him hurt, and I hated that he thought it had to be that way. I wanted to help, even though I was just a pathetic, useless human. I wanted to help and I wanted to get to know him better…

            Today he was wearing a dark blue shirt which fit him rather nicely – not too big but not too small, hinting at his figure – and dark jeans. At least, they looked like jeans. I was reminded of the pants I’d been given before. The ones with the stitching down the sides.

            Despite being a night owl, he seemed to have regained some of his color, which left me smiling.

            “What’s on the agenda for today?” I asked.

            “Shower first,” Kieron said, wrinkling his nose. “You reek.”

            I tossed him a glare. “I was _trying_ to shower, when you barged in and let screamers into the house,” I muttered.

            He shrugged and rolled his eyes. “Either way, shower first. I’ll be around.”

            “Around?” I echoed, frowning. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

            “I’m gonna look around,” he said. “I’ll meet you downstairs later.”

            I wanted to argue, but he slipped out so fast I barely knew he was even moving.

            _Damn agile perpetuals._

            So instead I pulled out a pair of clean clothes from the duffel bag and carefully hid the book back under its contents. If Kieron saw it on the ground next to the bed, he didn’t say anything, so either it was okay or he hadn’t noticed it. Either way I decided to put it away for the time being.

            Then I took to the bathroom, where I took a hot shower. I probably spent longer there than I needed, and only stepped out when the water started turning cold.

            I toweled off with the room’s dark blue towels and changed into the clean clothes. The light brown shirt was a little big on me but the pants – a comfortable, dark green type of cloth – fit rather well. My damn hair was dark and curly, wisps of it hanging down across my forehead. Trickles of water slid down the strands and into my eyes. Scowling, I brought the towel to my head and tried to dry it as best as I could.

            A few minutes later, I toed on my shoes and left the hotel room. Down the stairs I went – there were no elevators that I knew of – and found myself in a spacious lobby.

            Wooden chairs were splayed across the room, along with tables here and there. A comfortable looking couch sat off to the side, with a young couple sitting in it. They looked normal enough, with the guy’s arm around the girl’s shoulders as they both looked down at a piece of paper, small smiles on their faces.

            Were these normal people, or perpetuals? I hadn’t really seen anyone except perpetuals and screamers, so I had no idea. Did the people here look normal? If so, how did they instantly know I was human? Or maybe that was just the perpetuals. Maybe they could smell me or something. Honestly I wouldn’t be surprised.

            I didn’t see Kieron anywhere. I figured he was out scouting, even though I wished he wouldn’t. If he seriously thought we weren’t safe here, then why did we stop? I hadn’t been complaining about the walk or anything. It was his choice.

            Then I felt a little guilty, because he was probably tired. The healing process took a lot out of him, especially after the ‘poison’. I didn’t want to think about it, though. Not right now.

            Instead, the scent of food caught my attention and I walked toward the small diner toward the side of the lobby. There were only four large tables for people to eat on, but the food smelled delicious. I approached the counter and saw the selection – some were in characters I couldn’t identify, so I skipped those and saw names I didn’t recognize, such as ‘ruelzhit’ and ‘trex’. However I did see rhine.

            “ _Yahoi,”_ a guy said, looking at me with a smile, “ _desta mi hon?”_

            I blinked at him. “Um…I’m sorry, I don’t understand…”

            “Ah, English,” the guy said with a nod. “What can I do for you?”

            _Okay, he knows English. Then what the heck was he just saying?_

            “Oh, um…I don’t have any money,” I sighed.

            “Money is human,” the guy said with a scowl, giving me an odd look.

            I swallowed. People here didn’t seem to like humans, even though they looked like me. I wasn’t sure what he’d do if he learned I wasn’t. “Oh, um…I was in the human world for a job.” I shrugged and smiled.

            He nodded and the smile returned. “Are you a guest of this refuge?”

            _Refuge?_

            “Yes,” I said with a nod.

            “Then I can just add the food to your bill for later,” he said.

            I paused because if Kieron had money – or whatever it was they paid with – I wasn’t sure how much he had, but I was starving. My stomach growled loudly and I nodded.

            “Okay, sounds good.”

            He nodded. “What would you like?”

            “Oh, um…just some rhine, and…” My gaze trailed over the menu and my eyes widened. “And zhin!”

            Ahh, zhin.

            And I actually pronounced it right, too!

            He nodded. “And to drink?”

            “Um…whatever is fine,” I said, because I didn’t know what they had to drink here. I’d really only come across water but I had to admit I was a little tired of it. Water was great and all, but sometimes I wanted a little flavor. Besides, I’d tried Etherian food – but not really the drinks.

            He nodded. “How does aza sound?”

            I blinked. “Sounds great.”

            _The heck is that?_

            He scribbled a few notes down on a piece of paper. “I’ll get that to you in a few minutes.”

            “Okay. I’ll just…” I gestured at the tables. He nodded and I turned and walked away, feeling a little proud of myself. I just placed my first order in Atlantis. And survived.

            Barely.

            About five minutes later, the guy brought my food to me and I settled down to eat. The rhine was good, as always, and when I finally bit into the zhin, I savored every bite because it was so _good_.

            _Dunkin’ Donuts_ had nothing on zhin. _Nothing_.

            All too soon I was finished, and looked at my drink. It was a frothy blue liquid that for some reason reminded me of Kieron’s hair. I eyed it for a minute before I sighed and brought it to my lips.

            It tasted like blueberries and Fruit Loops. That was the only possible way to describe it, but it was pretty good, especially compared to water. I swallowed it down rather quickly and sat back somewhat, satisfied because I was full and not thirsty anymore.

            A few minutes later, I got to my feet and left the dining area. Then I froze because what the hell?

            There was a person entering the hotel – refuge? – but they didn’t look normal at all. They had too dark of skin – darker than black – and it looked rough and misused, like alligator skin instead of human. Their faced donned a splotch of scales, like a fish. Their fingers were webbed with a thin, barely noticeable sheen of gray. Claws stretched from their fingers and curved lightly as the person waved at someone sitting on one of the wooden chairs.

            “ _Human_.”

            The voice hissed into my ear and my arm was snagged. I was yanked sideways, into a small hallway, away from prying eyes and away from…whatever _that_ was.

            I turned to find Kieron glaring at me.

            “Are you _trying_ to get caught?” he asked, a light growl in his voice. “You can’t just go fucking _staring_ at everyone!”

            “What was that?” I squeaked.

            “An Etherian.”

            “But…but the couple on the couch…they didn’t look…”

            He shrugged. “Etherians are Etherians. They look however and physical appearances vary.”

            “But… _why_?”

            “I don’t know. Genetics really isn’t my thing,” he said slowly, giving me an odd look.

            “But…but Ashere…and Blaine…and _you_ …you look human!”

            _Well…most of the time,_ my mind amended.

            He shrugged. “We don’t all look alike. You haven’t seen many Etherians. Or perpetuals.”

            I sighed because yes, technically that was true. I hadn’t seen many people at all, perpetual or otherwise. I’d seen more screamers than anything else. So I couldn’t really judge.

            “Okay, but…but…they don’t look like people,” I said, because it was bothering me.

            “They’re not human,” Kieron said. “They’re Etherian. You’re thinking too much like a human.”

            “So explain it to me,” I said, because I really wanted to know. _Had_ to know, because otherwise my mind was going to explode thinking about it.

            “Etherians aren’t all just one species,” he said. “There are other species in your world – you just treat them as if they are inferior.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “Dogs, for example.”

            “But…but they’re not…”

            “They’re not human – but they are still an animal, just as you are. Just as we _all_ are,” he said with a shrug.

            I stared because there for a minute he actually sounded philosophical, and it was something I didn’t think he could do.

            “Here, everyone – everything – is equal.” A pause. “Except screamers. But that’s a long story.”

            I shook my head. “I don’t think my head can take more information today.”

            A faint smirk crossed his face. “Good. That saves me the trouble of answering questions.”

            “Like you ever do anyway,” I scoffed. “Just…okay, let me get this straight.” I took in a breath and released it slowly. “So you guys aren’t human. But you are all a different species. Like a dog? But dogs can’t talk!”

            “Dogs can talk,” he said. “You just don’t know how to listen.”

            I rolled my eyes. “Okay, whatever. Then why did that guy have a human body with like…mutations?”

            His eyes darkened. “They are not mutations. He was born that way. His parents probably were too. Just because he’s different from you doesn’t mean he’s the mutated one.” He cocked his head to the side. “Maybe _you_ are.”

            I frowned because I honestly hadn’t thought about it like that. He had a point. So I nodded. “Okay. Etherians are different. Got it.”

            He nodded and turned. “I’m going to finish looking around,” he said, “if you think you can stay out of trouble for more than five minutes.”

            “I wasn’t _in_ trouble,” I scoffed. “And I ordered my own food!”

            He shrugged. “You must be so proud.” He started walking away and I frowned after him as a thought occurred to me.

            “Hey – you said dogs can talk? Do you talk to dogs? Kieron!” I chased after him. “Do you talk to dogs? Hey! Do you _listen_ to them? Do they have dog problems? Kie!”


	50. Purple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You can get a little too excited about a purple liquid. Or maybe it's just Kieron's reaction to said liquid.

Chapter Fifty: Purple

 

 

 

“So, Kie, what did that screamer mean when he said you didn’t exist? As an animalistic perpetual, I mean,” I said, sitting on the bed with the book propped against my legs, hiding the title.

            Kieron glanced at me from where he sat at the small table in the room, a few pieces of paper scattered across the shiny wood. “Human, I don’t think now is the best time.”

            “Well, when _is_ a good time?” I asked, sighing, because I was tired of not getting answers. Either he said things were ‘complicated’ or it wasn’t the ‘best time’. There was always some kind of excuse, which maybe I could understand because we were being hunted and whatnot, but still…

            He shook his head. “It’s complicated.”

            “Yeah, you’ve said that before. Un-complicate it.”

            “It’s not that simple.”

            “Why not?”

            There was a pause, which caught my complete attention. I drew my gaze away from the book and focused solely on him as he bit his lip and hesitated.

            “Kie?” I asked quietly.

            Finally he sighed and scrubbed a hand across his face. “Technically, I don’t exist,” he said.

            “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, because clearly he existed – he was right in front of me!

            “I’m an animalistic perpetual,” he said quietly, eyes locked on the table. “I shouldn’t exist. I only do because…”

            “Because what?” I asked, intrigued, because this was the most I’d managed to get him to talk about something in a while.

            He shrugged and got to his feet. “I’ll be back later.”

            As he walked past me and headed for the door, I reached out and caught his wrist, halting him. I was more than a little surprised when he didn’t instantly shake me off, but instead stopped and stood there, allowing me to keep a hold on his wrist.

            “What do you mean, Kie?” I asked quietly. “Because what?”

            There was a long pause and for a minute, I didn’t think he was going to answer me. Not with the way he eyed the door like it was the key to freedom, or the way he refused to look at me. However, he still hadn’t shaken my grip off his wrist, so I took that as a good sign.

            “Kie?” I asked again when he remained silent. I took a step toward him. “Hey. What do you mean? You can tell me.”

            I wanted to know – I wanted to _understand_. I told him this before. There was a lot about him, and about Ethereal, that I didn’t know and didn’t understand, but I _wanted_ to. I wanted to know.

            Finally, he sighed and shook his head. “When I was little, they decided I got to be ‘special’.”

            “Special?” I asked, frowning because I didn’t like the tone he used when saying the word. It left a foul taste in my mouth.

            “Animalistic perpetuals _shouldn’t_ exist,” he said. “At least, not anymore. They used to – but they were all eradicated because they were, well…they were _wrong_. The Etherian public didn’t want them around, so they were disposed of…”

            “But…how did that happen? I thought perpetuals couldn’t be killed? I mean, not until recently,” I said, frowning, because this made no sense.

            Now he turned his gaze toward me, eyes cold and dark. “We couldn’t,” he said with a certain, dark inflection I didn’t like, “but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways of… _disposing_ of perpetuals.”

            I swallowed, unsure if I should ask what he meant or leave it be, because I really didn’t like that tone in his voice. Then again, I had to know what he meant because I wanted to understand. I needed to. So I finally sighed and ran a hand through my hair. “How do they… _dispose_ of them?” I asked quietly.

            Something flashed in his eyes. “You don’t want to know.”

            This time when he walked away, I didn’t stop him. I just watched as he opened the hotel room door and slipped outside, shutting it behind him with a snap.

            Then I was incased in silence, left to ponder what he could possibly mean.

 

 

 

 

The third day of our stay, I discovered the hotel’s gift shop. It was a surprise, because I couldn’t remember ever being in a hotel that had a gift shop, and this place didn’t seem too busy. Curiosity piqued, I pushed open the door and entered the little shop, a bell chiming my entrance overhead. I didn’t have any money, so I didn’t plan to actually get anything, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t look around.

            Kieron was away again. I wasn’t sure where he disappeared to, but every time I asked he just shrugged me off and said he was ‘around’. I assumed he was scouting, but why? If he thought it wasn’t safe, why were we here? Not that I was complaining, because the room was great and the bed was comfortable – and not just because I wasn’t sleeping alone, though that certainly helped.

            I didn’t used to be like this. I didn’t used to enjoy another’s presence in bed – at least not to this extent. I was fine on my own, and often preferred it. Rufus liked to cuddle – often in the middle of the night, if he actually wound up staying over, I’d wake in a hot sweat and instantly be irritated.

            Now, though, after being hunted and somehow cheating death so many times, I enjoyed someone else’s presence near me while I slept. It actually made me feel safe. I felt like I didn’t have to look over my shoulder, or expect to be attacked in my sleep, because someone was there. _Kieron_ was there. That was another major part. It wasn’t just a human, like Rufus or John – it was Kieron, who was a perpetual…and apparently an _animalistic_ perpetual, whatever that meant.

            I hadn’t come across anything about it in the book, but I planned to keep looking. There was always the option of demanding an answer from Kieron, but I wasn’t sure where that would lead. Last time it led to hallway kisses – next time it could lead to death. He was kind of unpredictable that way.

            And I still had absolutely no idea what he meant by ‘you don’t want to know’. How could one dispose of a perpetual until now? It made no sense but I didn’t bother asking again, because I didn’t want him to snap or get upset. It seemed to be a rather touchy subject for him.

            I sighed and shook the thoughts away, focusing instead on the gift shop. Mostly it contained rows of shelves and whatnot. Some held books, some held random pieces of jewelry, and others held a thing of rocks. I had no idea what that was about.

            Another shelf held vials of some kind. It looked a little like perfume, but the name was written in various characters I didn’t understand, so I skipped those and continued down the aisle. I found more vials with letters I understood, but words I didn’t understand.

            _Flaia,_ one of them said.

            _Chrushta,_ said another.

            I’d have to ask Kieron what that meant. I bet he knew.

            “Boy or girl?”

            I blinked and looked around. An elderly woman sat behind a little table, looking at me. I glanced behind me but there was no one near me. “You talking to me?” I asked, stepping toward her. She nodded and smiled.

            “Boy or girl?” she asked again.

            “Huh?”

            “Your mate,” she said.

            I blinked. “My what?”

            “Your bonded one. Boy or girl?”

            “Oh, um…boy,” I said. She did mean Kieron, right? I did share a bond with him. “How’d you…?”

            “It is all over your aura,” she said with a warm smile. “A perpetual, yes?”

            “Yeah. How did you know?”

            “It is a very distinctive aura. Perpetuals are tricky.”

            I shrugged. I’d heard that a lot.

            “I feel you are finding it difficult to get affection from him,” she said, watching me, and I stared at her.

            Kieron wasn’t affectionate. It wasn’t in his nature, and according to him – and the book – he couldn’t care, because perpetuals didn’t feel that ‘spark’, or whatever it was.

            “He’s a perpetual,” I said, like it explained everything.

            She smiled sadly. “Yes, he is. And you will never get what you want.”

            “Oh? And what do I want?” I asked.

            She shrugged and held out a vial of purple liquid. It was in one of those tubes that looked like it came from a science lab, with a little wooden cork holding the liquid in. “This will help.”

            “With?”

            “Your problem.”

            “My problem?”

            I didn’t have a problem – except for the fact I was being hunted, but I doubted some little vial could do anything to help with that. All that helped with that was running, it seemed. And training, but I would never be as strong as Kieron or a screamer.

            “Trust me,” she said, holding it out to me.

            I shook my head. “I don’t have any, um…I can’t pay you,” I said, because I still didn’t know what kind of currency they had here. I said money to that one guy and he looked at me oddly, so I didn’t bother saying it again.

            “You are a guest of this refuge, yes?”

            “Well, yeah, but-”

            “Consider it on the house.”

            “Why?” I asked, frowning at her.

            “Because I like you.”

            “You don’t know me.” She knew absolutely nothing about me, except that I shared a bond with a male perpetual. That was it. And I was still curious about how she knew that much.

            “I don’t need to know you to see that you want more from your perpetual,” she said with a knowing little smile, and my frown deepened.

            “He’s not _my_ …look, it’s not like that,” I said, shaking my head, because Kieron wasn’t _mine._ And I wasn’t _his_. We were just stuck together right now, that was all.

            _Except you want more, don’t you?_ my mind chimed in.

            _Shut up. It’s complicated._

            I didn’t mind the thought of _more_ , to be honest. A part of me wanted it, wanted to be with him, but he was still an asshole, even though he’d saved my life more than I could count. And he was a perpetual – thus he _couldn’t_ care, and…

            So, it was a moot point anyway. We shared a bond but he couldn’t care – at least, that was what he kept saying, and the book seemed to agree with him. All perpetuals could feel, according to the book, was a sense of _duty_. I didn’t want to be his _duty_. I didn’t want him to feel like he _had_ to help me, like he _had_ to be with me…

            I wanted him to _want_ to do those things…

            I sighed and shook my head. “Thanks, but we’re fine. We’re not having…those kinds of problems.”

            We weren’t even really _together_. I had no right to expect – to _want_ – him to show affection. I already knew that wasn’t in his nature.

            She watched me with big brown eyes that seemed to know too much. It left me feeling a little uneasy, to be honest.

            I started to back away from her. “Thanks, but-”

            A thin hand snagged my wrist, yanking me forward, back toward the little table. Brown eyes darkened and stared into mine, even as I bit down on my lower lip and tried to shake off her hold.

            _Clearly she’s crazy!_

            “Just give it a try,” she said quietly, watching me. “What can it hurt?”

            “Thanks, but-”

            She shoved the vial into my hand. “Just try it, and if you’re not satisfied, bring it back to me in the morning. I will be here.”

            I frowned and watched her for a moment. “Why are you giving this to me? What’s it do?”

            She smiled. “It will give you what you want. Just put a little on when you’re alone with the perpetual. Trust me.”

            _But I don’t trust you…_

            I sighed and looked down at the vial before I nodded and backed away. Quickly, I left the little gift shop, more than a little freaked out by that woman’s behavior.

What was so damn special about a little vial of purple liquid?

 

 

 

I wasn’t sure why I bothered. I didn’t know why I tried it, but later that evening I found myself in the bathroom, eying the vial. I popped the cork out and brought my nose to the top, taking in a small sniff. It didn’t seem to have a smell. Shrugging, I stuck my finger in it and eyed the liquid as it stuck to it.

            _Seems okay, I guess._

            What did she say? Put it on?

            I grabbed a rag and poured a little out onto it. Then I scrubbed it across my neck and whatnot, like cologne or something. It still didn’t have a smell.

            _Figures. Doesn’t even work._

            Shrugging, I dropped the rag on the floor and put the cork back in the vial, which I left in the bathroom as I exited the room. I moved toward the bed and grabbed my book. Kieron still wasn’t back yet so I had some time on my hands. Maybe I could find what he wouldn’t say, so he didn’t have to think about it, because he obviously hated it.

            I was just about to sit down and start reading when the door to the room opened and Kieron walked in. I dropped the book onto the ground next to the bed and watched as he walked around the corner, toward the other side of the bed, which was his side – since he hogged it the minute we got here.

            “Hey, Kie,” I greeted.

            He scowled. “Don’t call me that.”

            “Why not?”

            He frowned and cocked his head to the side.

            “Ashere gets to call you that.”

            He shrugged. “I’ve known Ashere for centuries.”

            “Well, I don’t have centuries – so why can’t I call you that too?”

            “Human.”

            I shrugged. “Just asking.”

            I didn’t actually expect him to give me a straight answer. I was just curious because why was it okay for Ashere to call him that, but when I did, I got scowled at and told not to call him that again? It didn’t quite seem fair. _We_ shared a bond – and he refused to call me Terry, so I got to call him whatever I wanted, right?

            Apparently not.

            “Where were you?” I asked as he sat on the bed.

            “Out,” he replied, shrugging off his shirt, which he then chucked aside. I snapped my gaze to the side because did the man have no sense of decency? Of warning?

            “Out where?”

            “Just out, human. What’s with the questions?” He tossed me a weary look.

            “Nothing, just curious.” I frowned at him, biting on my lower lip. “Everything okay?”

            Now he frowned. “What do you mean?”

            “You’re acting…kind of odd,” I said slowly. “Does it have something to do with what I said earlier…?”

            “Just drop it, human,” he sighed.

            I shrugged. “Talking might help. And I meant what I said, Kie – I want to understand.”

            Silence passed between us, so long that I was sure he was now ignoring me, so I sighed and turned away from him somewhat. I contemplated grabbing the book and reading even though he was there. I could hide it well enough. Plus I wasn’t even sure if he would be upset that I had it or not.

            It was as I was about to grab it that Kieron snagged my wrist, causing me to jerk my gaze toward him, eyes scanning over his face. He wore a slight frown, blue gaze searching mine as he bit down on his lower lip.

            “Kie?”

            “What are…you wearing?”

            I frowned at the sudden question and at the rough tone suddenly in his voice. Not rough like he was about to attack someone, but…rough like…

            “Kie?”

            He leaned forward, sniffing at my neck. “What are you wearing?” he asked, a slight growl in his voice this time, and I tried to shift away but he held firm to my wrist.

            “Just some, um…I actually don’t know. I was in the…I was in the gift shop earlier, and this woman…she just gave me this vial and I didn’t want to take it but she was persistent and I didn’t know what it was going to do so I put some on but nothing happened and so it’s just a cheap cologne and-” I broke off, swallowing, because Kieron was watching me with a certain gleam in his eyes, and I wasn’t sure what to think of it. “Kie?”

            It wasn’t a dangerous gleam, but…not quite human, either. Then again, what about Kieron was exactly _human_? Pretty much nothing except a few looks.

            “K-Kie?” I whispered, watching him.

            He blinked and the gleam dispersed. With a growl he released my wrist and tore away from me, getting to his feet. “Wash that shit off _right now_.”

            “What?”

            “ _Right now_!”

            “Okay! Sheesh,” I said, tossing him a look as I got to my feet. “What’s so bad about it? I don’t smell anything.”

            “Human. _Now_.”

            “It’d be nice if you told me _what the hell is going on_.”

            He tossed a look my way, a snarl hidden in his voice. “Just do as I say.”

            I frowned. “What is it? Is it bad? Did she give me some kind of bad mixture? Do I smell? My neck’s not glowing, is it?” My hands closed around my throat as though that would solve everything.

            Kieron stepped toward me and then stopped, growling somewhat. “Human – if you don’t want things to escalate, _wash it off right now_.”

            “Escalate?”

            His eyes flashed and he took another step forward.

            “Kie? What is it?”

            “ _Now_.”

            “I will, just…what is it? What do you mean, escalate?” I asked, because I really wanted to know and he wasn’t making any sense. It was just some purple liquid, a cologne that didn’t even have a smell – at least not to me – and he was getting worked up over nothing. What the hell did he mean, ‘if you don’t want things to escalate?’

            What was that supposed to mean?

            He growled and narrowed his eyes, gaze locked onto me, a gleam in his eyes like…

            “K-Kie?” I whispered, taking a timid step back, because he was looking at me like…like I was _prey_? No. No, that wasn’t exactly right. He didn’t look like he was about to _attack_ me…at least not like that.

            “ _Last chance,_ ” he snarled, hands held out on either side of him, running along pole at the foot of the bed. Muscles tensed as his jaw clenched and I knew he meant what he said. If I wanted this to stop – if I wanted things to _not_ escalate – I had to get this stuff off me.

            A part of me wanted to stay and see what happened. He didn’t look like he was going to _hurt_ me, exactly. A much larger part of me decided to take the out, and I quickly slipped past him and into the bathroom, where I quietly closed the door behind me. Then I stripped and stepped into the shower.

            All the while, I wondered what the hell was in that vial and why Kieron was acting like this.

            I expected answers – and I would get them, one way or another.

            When I came out of the room, Kieron was gone.

 

 

Another day passed relatively quickly. I wandered out of the hotel and into the buildings next to it – still a little shocked at the size of some of these places, since we kept staying in simple houses until now – and ate at the cafeteria place again. Kieron stayed suspiciously absent, but the bond wasn’t burning so I tried not to think about it too much.

            Why wasn’t he here? I had no idea. I only knew it had something to do with that stupid vial, which I now held clenched in my hand as I stormed into the gift shop. My eyes darted around but I didn’t see the woman who gave it to me.

            _She has to get here somewhere._

            The more I looked, though, the more I knew she wasn’t there. Maybe she was only there on certain days – I didn’t know. Her table was still there but it was empty, leaving me no sign one way or another.

            “Damn it,” I sighed, running my hand through my hair. Tangled strands came away with my fingers and I was reminded of the fact my hair was growing longer, and I didn’t like it too long. It was already longer than I liked, able to be put in a ponytail. Whenever possible, I needed to get it cut.

            But then I scowled because what was I thinking? I was being hunted and I worried about a hair cut?

            _Get your head in the game._

            I sighed and left the gift shop. Obviously the woman wasn’t there. I could deal with her later. Right now, I wanted to find Kieron. I had no idea where the perpetual could be, so I would have to-

            “Human.”

            I stopped and turned around, finding Kieron standing behind me, watching me. My eyes scanned him over and he seemed fine, nothing like he’d been the night before. “Kie,” I said with a smile, forcing the vial into my pocket. “Everything okay?”

            He cocked his head to the side. “Where did you get it?”

            “Get what?”

            Now he scowled. “Don’t play dumb.”

            I sighed and gestured toward the gift shop. “A woman gave it to me, for free – said I needed it or something, whatever. I tried to give it back but she’s not there, so…”

            He grunted in response, and for a long moment, we simply stood there, watching each other.

            Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore.

            “Kie…we need to talk.”

            A slow frown worked its way across his face. His feet shifted, and it looked like he was going to ignore me, but then he gave a slow nod and jerked his head toward the hallway. I followed after him and soon we were in our room.

            That felt strange – _our_ room. Like it was meant to be like this.

            “Talk,” he said briskly, sitting on the bed.

            I sighed and nodded, running my hands through my hair because I wasn’t entirely sure what to say, or where to start. I had so many questions. I wanted so many answers.

            “Are you okay?” I blurted before I could stop myself.

            He blinked at me. “I’m fine, human. Why do you ask?”

            “Don’t cock your head at me – it’s a legitimate concern!” I said, tossing him a quick glare. “I mean – you did just kind of totally freak out last night because of some purple liquid. _Purple_ , Kieron.” I paused and took in a slow breath. “So – are you okay? Yes or no.”

            He shrugged. “I’m fine.”

            “Not what I asked.”

            “Yes, I’m okay.”

            I nodded and sat in the only chair in the room, facing Kieron, hunched forward, elbows on my knees as I watched him. For a moment I sat simply watching him – how his eyes flickered to the side briefly and then back toward me; how his nose twitched somewhat; how his tongue flicked out across his lips momentarily before disappearing back into his mouth.

            “What was that purple liquid, Kie? And why did you react like you did?” I asked, keeping my gaze locked onto him, giving him no room to escape. I wanted my questions answered. He wasn’t getting away this time.

            He shifted somewhat and released a breath. “Deal with that later – next question.”

            “No – tell me now,” I said.

            “Human.”

            “What’s the harm?”

            We sat glaring at each other for a moment before I sighed and shook my head.

            “It’s either that or I’m getting that vial back out – is that what you want?” I asked, watching him.

            He tensed and released a slow growl, but thankfully didn’t argue.

            “Good,” I said. “Now – tell me what’s with the liquid and why you reacted like you did.”

            He sighed and scrubbed a hand across his face. “The liquid is the broken down form of zyrone, a rare plant located in mossy swamps.”

            “Okay…and?”

            “And, if mixed correctly, it…”

            I frowned as he trailed off. “Kie? What?”

            He shook his head. “It gives off this smell, that’s all. Makes people act differently.”

            “Differently?” I echoed. “How so?” Because I remembered his face, his words, and the tone of his voice.

            “Just…”

            “Kie? C’mon – tell me, okay?”

            There was a long pause before he sighed and nodded.

            “It makes this odor that attracts certain people.”

            “Certain people?”

            “Depends what it’s mixed with,” Kieron said. “But yours was specifically designed for perpetuals – for _male_ perpetuals.”

            I swallowed. “Yeah, she…she knew you were one and she asked if you were a boy or girl…”

            I didn’t bother telling him about how she kept calling him my mate. Now was not the time for that argument.

            He nodded. “So, it was meant for me.”

            “I…I guess. What is it? Why did you freak out?”

            He looked at the ground for a long moment, tongue running along the purse of his lips before he sighed and shifted his gaze up toward me, our eyes locking momentarily. “Because that ‘purple liquid’, as you’ve so eloquently dubbed it, is meant to induce sex.”

            I stared at him, unable to comprehend his words for a long moment, before I finally managed to open my mouth. “What – _sex_? So it…last night…you…” I swallowed. “You wanted to have _sex_ with me?”

            He scowled at me. “I didn’t have a choice, okay? Because you smeared it all over you like butter to toast and let me get close. You should have asked me what it was before you put it on – so this is your fault.”

            I tried to throw him a glare, but my mind seemed locked on one thing at the moment. “So you…were going to fuck me? If I didn’t wash it off?”

            His eyes narrowed. “What do you think?”

            “I…I don’t know. You were going to, weren’t you? No warning, just…”

            And now I could see what I couldn’t see the night before. The tense postured; the stress; the rough tone of his voice; that look in his eyes…it all made _sense_ now.

            A slow smile slid across my face. “You were going to fuck me because you _like_ me.”

            A scowl crossed his face. “I never said that, and you don’t understand that liquid, okay?”

            “Oh, I get it. You want me. You _so_ want me.”

            “You’re full of yourself.”

            “You want me – admit it, Kie, you care,” I said, getting to my feet, grinning at him. He scowled at me and stood as well. Since the bed and chair were so close together, we were practically breathing in each other’s exhaled breaths.

            His scowl grew. “No, I don’t. I can’t.”

            “You can. C’mon. Admit it. Say it.”

            “Say what?”

            I sighed and scowled at him. “You _know_ what. You mean to tell me you couldn’t fight off that liquid? Hmm? A big, _strong_ perpetual like yourself?” I tossed him a smile and watched as his eyes narrowed.

            “I did, didn’t I?”

            “Did you?” I asked. “You made me wash it off – my last chance out, right? Well…” I took a step forward, feeling a thrill crawl up my spine when blue eyes watched me from less than a few inches away. “What would have happened if I hadn’t washed it off? If I stayed?”

            Kieron’s eyes narrowed again. “It didn’t happen, so it’s fine. As it is, I think we should-”

            “Kieron,” I said, cutting him off, watching him. My voice went quiet, lost of its previous strength because I wasn’t even sure what I was doing right now. My mouth just got ahead of me but my brain was catching up. “Kieron, I…” I took in a slow breath and released it quietly. “Just tell me the truth, Kie…okay?”

            He watched me for a long moment. I thought for sure he was either going to punch me or ignore me, but he just stood there, not saying a word. I wasn’t sure how much time passed but I couldn’t bring myself to move, not when his eyes were locked onto mine. I also couldn’t bring myself to look away.

            _Damn it._

            “Would you have fucked me,” I whispered, “if I hadn’t washed it off? If I stayed?”

            Another long pause, but finally, he sighed. “Yes,” he finally murmured.

            A ball of warmth exploded within me thought I wasn’t sure why. It was just because of the liquid, right? Nothing more, nothing less. But then again it had to be something more, right? Because liquid alone couldn’t do that to someone – but Kieron wanted to fuck me. He admitted it.

            And that, I realized, was the biggest step.

            I smiled at the immortal and leaned forward, sealing our lips with a quiet, careful kiss. He remained somewhat rigid, but started to relax after a moment, and I pulled away, smirking at him.

            “You know, Kie…you’re okay sometimes.”

            He shrugged, watching me, lips twitching upward slightly. “Yeah, well…you’re not so bad yourself.”


	51. Favors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You decide you don't like Etherian currency.

Chapter Fifty-One: Favors

 

 

 

It was quiet, and dark, and warm. Those were my first thoughts upon waking. The covers around me were tight and warm, and the bed was soft and inviting, and the room was dark and quiet. Everything was perfect, and I willed myself to go back to sleep. I hadn’t slept this well in a long time – not since everything started. Maybe even before that, I don’t know.

            It’s been a while since I really thought about sleep.

            But right now, in this moment, everything was great. The bed was warm, the covers were soft, and the breaths moving across my ear were quiet.

            _Wait – what?_

            I snapped my eyes open and found myself staring at blue hair directly in front of me. Kieron was facing me, face serene in a deep sleep, breaths soft and quiet as they drifted across my air from where I lay facing him. I held my breath for a moment, sure he would wake up and get angry or something, but everything remained as it was. He slept on, and I was still comfortable, soft, and warm.

A part of me was sure I should move away – if he saw this, I wasn’t sure how he would react. Of course, it was his idea to only have one bed. Thus far it hadn’t been a problem as we’d both been pretty tired, and at one point he didn’t come back until after I was asleep, if at all. The only time we really saw each other was when we were sleeping. He’d wake and disappear for the day, and I’d wander around the hotel. He told me not to go outside but I had to admit I wanted to look around.

I never did see that one lady again, so I still had the purple liquid somewhere, stashed away in the bottom shelf of the little bathroom cabinet above the toilet. I’m not sure why I kept it, but maybe it would come in handy at some point, though I wasn’t entirely sure how…

Kieron shifted and I held my breath, watching him. His mouth moved a little as he breathed out a contented sigh and stilled again. Watching him, I couldn’t stop the small smile which overtook my face. He looked so peaceful like this – like we weren’t in danger, he wasn’t used to pain, and he hadn’t been hurt as a kid so he would grow a better pain tolerance.

Now I scowled. I still didn’t know if that happened to him or not, but either way, I was fairly certain he wouldn’t tell me.

For a long time, I lay there, not moving. I dozed off a few times but woke rather easily, whenever he shifted or sighed, even though I was quite comfortable where I was. I would never tell him that, of course – but I was. I liked not being alone – and I felt safe with him around. I would admit it. I trusted him – trusted him with my life.

So why, then, was I so damn _nervous_?

 _It’s not like this has never happened before,_ my mind told me.

_Yeah, well, this is Kieron – it’s a little different._

I wasn’t sure _how_ it was different…or _why_ , but it was.

I’d woken with people breathing in my face. I’d woken wrapped in arms. I’d woken too hot, covered in warmth from a sweating body, and it wasn’t that great because it was hard to really get comfortable when one was too hot.

I’d also had sex. I did so with Kieron before, so it wasn’t like this was anything new – well, okay, it was, but not when compared to sex. It was different, though…

_Mind? Please stop thinking. I’m too tired for this._

Thankfully, my mind decided to take pity on me and I shoved the thoughts away and settled back into the pillows. I allowed my eyes to close, and I would never admit to the fact the sound of Kieron’s breathing was soothing.

I was almost back to sleep when there was a knock at the door. At first I wasn’t sure what it was, because that sound had grown unfamiliar since all of this started. For a minute I didn’t know what to do, so I stayed where I was, but when the knocking came again, Kieron tore out of the covers and stood up in one fluid movement, a scowl on his face as he stomped toward the hotel room door.

I peeked around the corner to find him slamming it shut a minute later. He marched back toward the bed and scrubbed a hand over his face.

“Pack your stuff,” he said, “we’re leaving later today.”

“Okay,” I said, because I’d pretty much expected something like that to happen soon, “when?”

He hesitated. “Soon. A few hours.”

I nodded. “What are you going to do?” He had that look like he was going to leave again. He did so every day. I didn’t know why or where.

He shrugged and tugged on a clean black shirt. I watched as it slid down his skin. “Have some more stuff to do, but I’ll be back in a few hours, probably.”

“Probably?”

“Depends on how long it takes.”

“What are you doing?” I asked, frowning at him. I hoped he wasn’t scouting around or something. He really didn’t need to keep doing that. If he thought it was unsafe, we could keep moving – we didn’t have to split up. He didn’t have to go look for trouble while I stayed in the comfortable ‘refuge’. That didn’t seem right at all.

“Just some stuff.”

“Like?”

“Human.”

“Kie, c’mon – what do you do every day? Because you disappear for hours,” I told him, sighing. “You’re not out scouting, are you?”

“No…but I probably should do that before we leave,” he said thoughtfully, and I scowled at him.

“That’s not what I meant. What have you been doing?”

“Just stuff, human.”

“Like…?” I prompted, watching him. He stared back at me for a moment before he scrubbed a hand over his face, sighed, and nodded.

“Alright,” he said, “fine. I’ve been paying for our stay.”

“Paying? With what? I didn’t know you even had money.”

“Money is human,” he said with a scowl, and I shrugged.

“Well, whatever! So what have you been paying with?”

He chewed on his lower lip briefly, and then shrugged again. “Currency is different here,” he said. “You need to understand that.”

“Okay,” I said, “sure.”

He nodded and paused momentarily, before he sighed and kept going. “Money is the currency in your world – for humans. Here, money is nothing but a piece of paper, which causes wars, greediness, and things we generally don’t want. Money is human. We are not.”

“Okay,” I said slowly, frowning. “So what…?”

“In Ethereal, you pay your debts in favors.”

“Favors?”

“Yes – favors. That is our currency. You want something done? Depends what it is, and the bigger it is, the higher the price. The bigger the favor. Do you understand?”

I bit on my lip and nodded. “I guess so. So, like…say I want a donut. Some zhin. I go to the guy who sells them and get one, and in return I do what he wants?”

“Something like that,” he said, shaking his head. “If you just wanted zhin, he might not even make you pay. But it would be something small, like maybe you spread the word of his business or something. I don’t know. Or you can tell them to add it to your tab.”

I nodded. “Isn’t that what they did with you? When we first got zhin?” I asked, because I remembered how the guy said he would put it on Kieron’s tab.

He nodded. “Yeah. You can put it on a tab and not return the favor until later, but the more favors your rack up means the one you’ll probably get hit with is something you really don’t want to do, but payback can be a bitch, even if it was initially for something good.”

“That sounds complicated and I don’t think I like it.”

“It’s how things are here,” he said, watching me as he sat on the edge of the bed. He tore his gaze away and grabbed his shoes, tugging them on. After he laced them up, he stood and faced me where I stood at the foot of the bed, watching him.

“So…what’s this place costing?” I asked, because it had been bugging me for a while, but now that I knew about the favors, it was making me all the more uneasy.

His eyes darkened. “You don’t need to worry about that. I’ve got it under control. Now, I really need to be going if we’re going to get out of here in a few hours.”

He moved to sidestep me, but I snagged his arm and yanked him back, because that look in his eyes…I wasn’t okay with it.

“Kieron,” I said slowly, quietly, watching him, waiting until his eyes moved and met mine, “tell me what you have to do in return. Because I racked up a bit of a bill, I’m sure.”

I ate a few times and visited the gift shop. Kieron hadn’t said anything about it, so it was okay, right?

When he refused to answer, a seed of anger burned through me and I found myself growling. My hands reached out and tangled in his shirt as I yanked him forward, toward me, watching as his eyes widened briefly at the sudden movement.

“Kieron,” I hissed, “tell me! Tell me what you have to do!”

He scanned his gaze across my face for a moment before he sighed and nodded. I loosened my grip on him but did not pull away. I was a little happy he didn’t step away, either.

“Tell me,” I said.

“First, don’t get pissed.”

“Why would I get pissed?” I didn’t like the sound of that. At all.

“Just don’t.”

“Fine, okay, tell me.”

“Perpetuals aren’t very welcome in places like this, so to even get us a room, I had to do quite a bit of bargaining, and I’ve spent the past few days trying to pay off that debt,” he said.

“What debt? What did you have to do? And why aren’t perpetuals welcome here?” I asked, frowning, because that didn’t make much sense.

“We’re close to a large city,” he said patiently, watching me, “and those in the city don’t like perpetuals.”

“Why not?”

He shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure, but they don’t like us. Why do you think we’ve stayed in the woods for the most part?”

I bit my lip and nodded. “Okay, so…but we’re not in the city, right?”

“Not yet, no.”

“So what did you have to do…?”

His nose wrinkled. “Let’s not discuss it.”

“Kie.”

“Human. Let it go.” There was a growl of warning in his words but instead of making me stop, it only led me to the conclusion it was something bad, and now I _had_ to know. I had to know what he had to do because of me, because I was being hunted and he was unfortunate enough to get stuck with me.

“Kie…please tell me,” I said quietly, tightening my grip on his clothes again. “I need to know.”

A scowl overtook his face. “Let’s just say I got acquainted with your little liquid before you brought it up.”

For a moment, I stared at him in confusion, but then realization slowly dawned on me. My emotions ranged from confusion, horror, and then to complete and utter _rage_.

           

 

 

            The word kept circulating through my head.

            _No. Not Kieron. They wouldn’t – couldn’t – do that to Kieron._

            But they did.

            “Human,” Kieron growled from behind me. I was barely even aware he was chasing after me until his hand snagged my shoulder, slowing me down. I shook him off and he growled again. “Human!”

            “What?” I snapped, not looking at him as I marched on in my tirade. “What the hell do you have to say? You’re not stopping me!”

            “You obviously don’t know what you’re doing,” Kieron snapped back, yanking the duffel from my hands. I tugged back and we wound up dropping it between us, where it hit the ground with a low thud.

            I whirled around and picked it back up, tossing him a glare. “We’re _leaving_.”

            “Human – hey!” Kieron said as he chased after me again. “We can’t just _leave_!”

            “We were going to anyway!”

            “Yeah – _later_!”

            “No – we’re leaving _now_!”

            He growled again and snagged my wrist, twisting me around until we faced each other in the long hallway leading toward the stairwell. I growled and tried to pull away but he simply held tight. “Human,” he said, glaring. I glared back and dropped the duffel to snag his hand and try to tear it away from my wrist. “ _Terry_.”

            I stopped and blinked up at him, frowning. His hand left my wrist only to return on my chest, pushing me backward against the wall, holding me there.

            “Stop this,” he said quietly. “You’re not thinking clearly.”

            “I think I’ve got it pretty clear,” I said, shaking my head. “This is _not_ okay, Kie. You know that, right?”

            “Terry…”

            I swallowed. “We need to leave, okay?”

            “I’m not finished-”

            “Oh yes – yes you _are_ ,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him, because there was no way he was finishing that sentence. There was no way he was staying here another minute to try and repay his debt.

My stomach churned and I felt sick at the thought he was doing this because of _me_ , because I was pretty sure otherwise, he wouldn’t have even thought to come to a refuge. So this was my fault, and I kept adding to the bill he kept trying to pay off, and…

            “Kie,” I said quietly, “I’m _sorry_.”

            He frowned. “What for?”

            “What for? _What for_? Are you…? What do you _mean_ what for?” I snapped, dragging my hands to clasp onto the front of his shirt again, dragging him toward me just in case he had something in his ears and couldn’t hear why this was a problem. “You shouldn’t have to fucking _do_ that! No one should! And…And I know you’re doing it for me, and we came here for _me_ , and I’m _sorry_ because I didn’t fucking _know_ , and…”

            “I don’t blame you,” he said, blinking at me, confusion marring his brow. “Is that what this is about?”

            “Why don’t you blame me?”

            “You didn’t know.”

            “Yeah, but…”

            He cocked his head to the side, watching me. “You wouldn’t ask me to do this if you knew.”

            “I wouldn’t! And I didn’t ask you to, you just…Kie, we need to leave, okay?”

            He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face as he took a step back and turned away from me. “I can’t until I’m done.”

            “Yes you can!”

            “Human – it’s not that _simple_. You don’t skimp out on the bill halfway through!”

            “You do when it’s this kind of bill!” I said, taking a step toward him. “Okay? This isn’t normal! A normal bill is where you _pay_ for stuff in a reasonable, _rational_ way! There is nothing rational about this! Do you hear me?”

            “Please stop yelling,” he said.

            “I will when you get your ass moving,” I snapped.

            “Human…” His shoulders sagged.

            “Kie…I know you think you have to, but you don’t. It’s ridiculous. You’ve already paid and then some,” I said quietly, watching him, hoping he’d finally understand, because this was just insane. “Okay?” I moved another step closer and grabbed his shoulder, causing him to stiffen. “What they…it’s wrong, okay? They can’t just…use that on you, and…and…”

            _And use that against you. And make you…_

            I stopped there because I just couldn’t…I couldn’t make my mind go there again, because to think about it was making me so _angry_ …I just wanted to punch something, preferably the idiot who made this deal with Kieron, who used that liquid against him and made him…

            My stomach churned and I fought down the bile rising in the back of my throat.

            _No wonder he reacted so harshly to it… It wasn’t just the fact it was making him like that, but because it had already been done to him…_

            “Kie, please,” I said once I felt steady enough. I yanked on his shoulder until he turned to face me. “Please, let’s just go. Just…just this once, skip out on the rest of your bill. Okay?”

            “Terry…”

            The use of my name had me releasing a slow breath. He’d used it more in this conversation that he had the entire time I’d known him. “Please, Kie. Let’s just…let’s just go, please.”

            For a long moment, he watched me, and I watched him, before finally, he gave into a slow, stiff nod. I knew he didn’t like bailing like this, but he obviously couldn’t see how wrong this was. If this was what it was like to pay for things in Ethereal, I wanted absolutely no part in it.

            I couldn’t believe they made him…

            _How many times?_

_Please don’t think about it, Mind._

_How many times did they do it?_

_Please – stop._

_How many times did they get to do what you didn’t?_

_STOP. Shut up._

            Thankfully, it finally quieted down.

            My that knot in my stomach…

            It was so tight all I could do was stand there, watching him, because I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to make this better. I needed to – but Kieron couldn’t see that. He couldn’t see how wrong this was. Why couldn’t he? He obviously wasn’t comfortable with it – didn’t like it – but he didn’t say it was wrong. He didn’t seem particularly angry about it.

            By the time we finally got out of the refuge, my blood was boiling again. The sickness was gone but the anger remained. As soon as we reached the trees – and I’d never been so happy to be surrounded by them – I turned to face Kieron and grabbed him, stepping toward him.

            We both must have known where this was going, because we leaned forward at the same time and our lips met in a fierce yet gentle touch, and it lasted longer than I expected. Finally we pulled away and I clung to his shirt as I had done for most of today.

            “I just…promise me you won’t do that again, okay?”

            “Human…”

            “No, I’m serious. If someone wants you to do that to repay a debt or whatever…tell them to fuck off.”

            A slow smirk crossed his face.

            “Don’t laugh,” I said, glaring at him. “I’m serious!”

            “I know,” he said with a quiet little laugh, “that’s why I like this.”

            Then he leaned forward and caught my lips with his own, and I was lost in the presence that was Kieron.


	52. Until it Wasn't Okay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go good for a while... and then everything goes to hell.

Chapter Fifty-Two: Until it Wasn’t Okay

 

 

 

“Are you sure we should be doing this?” I asked for what must have been the hundredth time, because I couldn’t shake the dread knotting in my stomach. After what I heard about favors and the city, I didn’t want to do this.

            Kieron eyed me curiously. “What are you so worried about?”

            “You, you idiot,” I grumbled, folding my arms across my chest. “You said they didn’t like perpetuals in the city, and you already had to do that…that _favor_ so we could stay at the hotel, and…I don’t think this is a good idea.”

            He sighed and scrubbed a hand across his face, shaking his head. “Human, we have to. It’s quicker that way than it is to go around, and it will be less likely that we’ll run into screamers there.”

            “I don’t care – I’ll take the risks.”

            I didn’t _want_ to take the risks, but I didn’t want him anywhere near people that made him do those _favors_ , either. I wanted that even less. I still couldn’t believe it happened. I couldn’t believe he _let_ it happen, and I didn’t know about it. I just assumed he was tired, or acting irrationally when I wore that liquid, but now I knew otherwise. It frustrated me because he didn’t seem to think it was a problem – didn’t seem to think it was _wrong_ , when there was absolutely nothing _right_ about it.

            He scowled at me and didn’t answer, simply tossed the duffel over his shoulder as he strolled through the trees. I bit down on my lower lip, hesitating, but I couldn’t just stay here. I didn’t know where I was. Finally, I sighed and chased after him.

            _Fine. But I’m sticking with you the whole time and the minute someone says something out of line…_

 _You’ll what?_ My mind asked.

            _I don’t know. But I’ll do something._

            I wouldn’t let it happen again. I wouldn’t be naïve and stupid this time.

            A few minutes later, he pushed aside some of the brush and I found myself staring at a bustling city. There was no other way to describe it. There were tall buildings – though not like skyscrapers or anything, the tallest was maybe only five or six stories high – and roads, though they were dirt roads. There were horses – at least they looked like horses from here – tethered to a post at the corner of a building which boasted something in those odd characters I couldn’t read. People filled the streets, stopping to look into windows, just like they did where I came from. I was reminded of home and for a minute, felt unbelievably homesick.

            “That’s the…city?” I asked quietly.

            “It’s a city,” he agreed, stepping out of the trees. I followed after him and we followed a dirt path toward the road.

            I startled and staggered back, though, when something zoomed past me, in front of my face. Kieron shot me a look and smirked faintly.

            “What the…heck is that?” I asked, staring as the thing rushed down the street and disappeared around a corner.

            “Hover-jet,” he said.

            “Hover-what?”

            He shrugged. “We have cars, kind of. Except they don’t have tires, and they don’t run on gas.”

            “What do they run on? And hover?” I asked, frowning as I watched him, my heart still racing a little.

            “You don’t want to know,” he said, nose wrinkling. “And yes, hover. They fly, I guess, but they can’t get very far from the ground. About a foot or so. They’re small, agile, and fast, and usually only seat one, sometimes two if you’re lucky.”

            I smirked. “Have you driven one?”

            “Not really,” he said, “except once. Like I said, I try to steer clear of the city and there’s no need for that kind of stuff in the trees.” He shrugged like it was no big deal.

            “Kieron…we don’t have to be here,” I said quietly, lightly grabbing his arm. “I don’t mind staying in the woods, okay?”

            He shook his head. “We’re both tired, we need to stop for a bit, and this is the safest place. Screamers hate coming to the city, so they’ll avoid it for as long as they can, so it might give us a bit of breathing room,” he said, stepping away from me, and further down the street.

            I sighed, looked around, and followed after him. A few normal-looking people walked past us, but a few of them didn’t look so normal. They didn’t look like that one guy at the hotel, with the odd, scaly skin, but they didn’t look human either. Then again they weren’t human.

            I kept my gaze focused on Kieron’s back to keep from staring, because we didn’t need any unwanted attention drawn to us. It was just easier this way.

            Kieron moved through the streets as though he’d been there before, which left me wondering. Occasionally, he’d glare off into the distance and his hand would come to rest on the hilt of his blade, which was resting attached to his light brown belt. After a moment, he’d release it and we’d keep walking. I looked around but never saw who he could have been glaring at, but my eyesight wasn’t nearly as good as his, and it was starting to get dark. There were a lot of alleys we passed by, and it was too dark for me to see down them.

            “Where are we going?” I asked, after about ten minutes of walking.

            “Someone’s house.”

            “House?” I frowned and blinked at him. “Who?”

            He shrugged and didn’t reply, so I sighed and decided to drop it – for now. Later was another matter entirely.

            After about ten more minutes of walking, we reached what looked like a housing addition. All of the houses were small and quaint, some of which had a front porch and steps leading up to it. Others simply had a little path leading to their door. Kieron walked up to one of the latter ones and knocked quickly, glancing around.

            The door opened to reveal an older man with shocked wrinkles around his dark brown eyes as he stared at Kieron. After a moment, the shock was replaced with a sneer of anger as he held tight to the doorknob, like he was going to shut it in our faces. “What are you doing here?”

            “Aldis,” Kieron said with a slow nod. “Hello. How have you been?”

            “What do you want?” the old guy, Aldis, asked. It wasn’t that he looked exactly ‘old’, just not like Kieron. Kieron looked like he was around my age, so around his mid-twenties. This guy looked like he was in his late forties, early fifties.

            Kieron rubbed at the back of his neck, sighing. “I kind of…need some help.”

            Aldis scoffed. I glared at him. “What else is new?” he grumbled, shaking his head before he stepped back. “Come in. You’ll raise suspicion if you just stand there.”

            Kieron stepped into the little house and I followed after him. Aldis closed the door in our wake and walked toward the little recliner seated on the far side of the room. Kieron sat on the couch and I sat next to him, watching as Aldis moved toward the chair. He had a slight limp when he walked, and held his left side a little stiffly.

            “So,” Aldis sighed as he sat down, “what’s it this time?”

            “It’s a long story,” Kieron said with a weary chuckle.

            “Then you best be getting on with it.”

 

 

 

About two hours later, I was half asleep on the couch. I kept falling backward into the cushions – so comfortable and soft! – and my head kept whipping to the side, which kept waking me back up. I also found myself sliding more and more to the left, and now my face was on Kieron’s shoulder. He kept talking to Aldis, like he didn’t even notice, and maybe he didn’t. He seemed very heated in this topic.

            For a while they’d been talking about humans, wars, screamers, and perpetuals. It was interesting and everything, but I was just so tired…and the sound of their voices was putting me to sleep.

            “Are you sure?” Kieron asked, voice a comfortable rumble against my ear where I leaned against him.

            “I think it’s what needs to happen.”

            Whatever Kieron said next was lost as I broke into a wide yawn.

            _Well, if he doesn’t mind…_

            Head leaning against his shoulder, I allowed my heavy eyes to close. Just before I slipped into sleep, I thought I felt Kieron put an arm around me.

            But I must have been dreaming.

 

 

 

I woke with a feeling of foreboding. My eyes snapped open and I sat up in a rather large bed, clutching at the covers as they fell away from me. I looked around but found myself alone, but I could clearly remember Kieron being there before. “Kie?” I asked quietly, sleep clogging my voice. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Kieron?”

            There wasn’t an answer, and I threw the covers back and got to my feet, wondering how I’d gotten in the bed in the first place. The last thing I remembered was falling asleep on the couch, Kieron’s voice a soothing rumble in my ear. I’d been so tired.

            I was in some room I didn’t recognize. Opening the door, I poked my head out into the dark hallway. “Kieron?” I stepped out into the hallway and walked down it. “Kie?”

            “Terry, is it?” came a voice, and I jumped, looking toward the source of it. Aldis sat on the couch, book in hand. He peered at me over the pages. I gave into a slow nod and he gestured for me to come into the room.

            “Where’s Kieron?” I asked as I sat in the recliner he’d occupied last night. It was early morning now, sun beginning to seep through the windows. Birds chirped outside and it was the most normal things had seemed in a long time. Aldis’s gaze returned to the book.

            “He went out,” he replied.

            “Out?” I echoed, frowning. “Out where? Why?”

            “He’ll be back later.”

            “How long?”

            Aldis gave into a slow shrug. “I don’t know for certain. He just said he’d be back sometime tomorrow.”

            “Tomorrow?” I repeated, staring at him. “ _Tomorrow_? He left for a _day_? What? Why?” A knot formed in my stomach and I struggled to shove the feeling away.

            “He went to see someone.”

            “Someone? Who?”

            He glanced at me again. “Do you always ask so many questions?”

            “Um…yes?”

            He shook his head and returned to his book. “Are you hungry?”

            “Kieron-”

            “-will be back,” he finished for me. “Are you hungry?”

            I folded my arms across my chest and sat back in the chair, glaring at him. I didn’t know this guy and I didn’t trust him. Kieron seemed to – after all, he left me here with him, so the guy was obviously not a danger to me. Then again, he might not know I was human. I swallowed and shifted my gaze toward the ground.

            Wait a minute…

            If I was here…and the city people didn’t like perpetuals…

            “He’s not doing a favor for you, is he?” I asked, watching him.

            Aldis got to his feet, putting the book down. “What would you like for breakfast? Kieron tells me you like truelbe.”

            “What favor is he doing?” I asked, getting to my feet, following the guy into the small kitchen.

            “He’s not doing a favor for me,” Aldis said.

            “Then what…?”

            “I told you – he went to talk to someone. He’ll be back soon.”

            I scrubbed a hand over my face. “He’s not in trouble, is he?”

            Aldis looked at me, dark eyes scanning over my face, calculating. “You are close to him.”

            I shrugged. “Kinda?”

            Close enough, right? I mean, we were bonded.

            He nodded. “His trip isn’t dangerous, if that’s what you’re asking.”

            I nodded. “Well…that’s a relief.”

At least he wasn’t in trouble, but he never mentioned anything to me about going anywhere. Hell, he hadn’t even woken me up to tell me he was leaving and he wouldn’t be back for a day. I sat at the rectangular kitchen table and watched as Aldis began cooking.

“How do you know Kieron?”

He shrugged. “He did a few favors for me about ten years ago.”

My eyes narrowed. “What kind of favors?” I didn’t trust their version of ‘favors’. At all.

“A little of this and that,” he said dismissively. “We haven’t spoken in years. He looks the same, though. Of course, they all do, don’t they?” He shook his head.

“I take it you don’t like perpetuals.”

“I don’t mind them, but in general, no. Some are okay.”

“Kieron?”

“He’s okay enough. A little rude but he follows through on his promises.”

I sighed, wondering what those ‘promises’ were. My mind told me to stop thinking about it, though, and so I did, because a part of me really didn’t want to know. If he had Kieron do _those_ kinds of favors, I didn’t want to know, right? But then a part of me _needed_ to know…

I closed my eyes and tried not to think about it.

 

 

 

I didn’t sleep well that night. That day all I did was pretty much sit in the bedroom I’d woken up in. I’d tried talking to Aldis but the man was almost as allergic to answers as Kieron was. When night finally fell, I tried to sleep but my mind decided to hate me and keep running through possible scenarios of how things could go wrong. Instead I tossed and turned all night. I had just finally managed to get to sleep when the bedroom door opened and the bed dipped down.

Snapping my eyes open, I caught sight of a shadow moving in the darkness. At first I was a little panicked until I saw the outline of blue, shaggy hair. A slow smile slid across my face. “Kieron,” I murmured as he crawled under the covers.

“Go to sleep,” he sighed, burying his head into his pillow.

“Are you okay?”

He was facing me. His eyes blinked open and slowly focused on me. “Huh?”

“Are you okay?” I repeated.

“ ‘m fine, human.”

“Are you sure?”

“I think I would know,” he said with a tired sigh.

“Where’d you go?”

“Just outside the city.”

“Why?”

“Had to see someone.”

“Who?”

“You’ll see later,” he said, closing his eyes. “Go to sleep. It’s too early to be talking.”

I snorted out a faint laugh. “This coming from the guy who used to make us travel all night…”

The palm of his hand nudged against my shoulder in a light shove. I chuckled and did the same back to him. “Don’t make me get up,” he threatened. “I’m too tired to talk.”

“But you’re doing it right now…”

He opened one blue eye. “You interfere with my sleep, human, and it won’t be the screamers you have to worry about.” Then he smiled faintly, and I returned it.

“Night, Kie,” I said quietly, burying my face into my pillow.

“Night…Terry.”

After that, it was surprisingly easy to go to sleep.

 

 

 

I woke alone.

Yawning, I stretched on the bed before I threw the covers back and got to my feet, staggering out of the bedroom in search of the bathroom. Once I’d finished, I made my way into the kitchen, throat and mouth dry. I fished out a bottle of water and turned to enter the living room, where I could hear voices.

Upon entering, I found Kieron sitting on the couch next to some girl I’d never seen before. She was pretty enough, in that ageless kind of way. The air around her screamed perpetual. Her long, black hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail. Sheepish green eyes watched Kieron as he talked and kept his voice low. Aldis was nowhere in sight.

The girl was the first to notice me. She smiled at me. “You must be Terry,” she said, and I shrugged and gave into a slow nod. “It’s nice to meet you.” She stood and walked toward me, holding out her hand. Kieron watched her and switched his gaze to me as I reached out and shook her hand.

“Hi,” I said slowly, frowning.

_Who the hell is this?_

Kieron sighed and waved his hand from me to her, then back again. “Terry, Kleo. Kleo, Terry.”

 _Kleo_.

The name was familiar but at the moment, I wasn’t entirely sure why. She returned to the couch and sat next to Kieron. Kieron gestured for me to sit in the recliner and I did so, frowning as I watched them.

“Kleo’s my sister,” Kieron said slowly, and I blinked as realization hit me.

“Oh,” I said, “yeah.” I smiled at her. “Nice to meet you.”

Her eyes brightened and a wide smile overtook her face. “Kieron tells me you’re bonded?”

I shrugged and nodded.

“Sorry,” she said with a quiet laugh, “Kieron can be kind of a handful.” She looked at him. “No offense, Kie.”

He scowled. “Then why do I feel offended?”

“Sorry, Kitt.”

“Kitt?” I echoed, raising a brow at Kieron, who scowled.

“I’m not six anymore, Klee – that name died a long time ago,” he complained, and she laughed, shaking her head. I was beginning to like her.

_Aww, he has a nickname for her too – Klee._

“You’re still my baby brother, no matter how old you are.”

“And how old is that?” I asked, because it was something I’d been wondering about for a while now.

“Little Kie-Kie is going on eight-hundred-and-three-years-old, aren’t you?” She shoved lightly at his shoulder and his scowl grew.

I stared at him. “Eight-hundred?” I spluttered.

_He’s an old man! I had sex with an old man…an old…attractive…young man…_

_And Kie-Kie…hehe…so calling him that from now on._

“And how old are you?” I asked her.

“You never ask a woman her age,” she chided, but there was still a smile on her face. She shrugged. “I’m eight-hundred-and-ten-years-old.” She threw her arm around Kieron’s shoulders. “And it’s been nearly half a century since I last saw you, Kie! Where has the time gone?”

“Been busy,” he grumbled, shrugging her off. She smirked and playfully ruffled his hair, causing him to scowl and send her a quick glare.

I grinned at the two of them. Despite the fact it seemed Kieron led an unusual life, wherein he was a perpetual and apparently that meant he had to be created because he was needed and not out of love, at least his sister legitimately seemed to care about him – at least, as much as perpetuals could care, I guess. That was something, at least.

“Well, un-busy yourself,” Kleo replied, shaking her head. “How are Mom and Dad?”

“They’re fine.”

Hmm. Interesting. She called them Mom and Dad while he just called them Jo and Rhett.

“How’s Ashy?”

“Ashere’s fine.”

I blinked. “Wait – where is he? I haven’t seen him since…” I trailed off there.

_Since we were caught and you were hurt…_

Kieron shrugged. “He managed to leave in time.”

“Oh?”

“I made him leave.”

“Kieron,” I hissed. “You could have-”

“But I didn’t,” he cut me off sharply, sending me a look. “So everything’s fine.”

“What am I missing?” Kleo asked, frowning.

“Have you been feeling…bouts of pain?” Kieron asked, glancing at her.

She shrugged. “Sometimes, off and on…why?”

“Well, apparently perpetuals aren’t so perpetual after all,” he said, a grimace crossing his face.

“Huh?”

“They’re dying,” I said quietly, and her gaze shifted toward me. I wasn’t entirely sure, but I thought there might have been a flash of…something…in her gaze.

She was afraid.

“How?” she asked softly, turning her gaze back to Kieron. “Are you hurt?”

He scowled. “I’m fine. And I don’t know, exactly…there’s this knife.” He shrugged. “It’s a little confusing.”

It would be, to him. He was out of it most of the time. I opened my mouth to reply, to help clarify, but was cut off.

Everything was okay – until suddenly, it wasn’t.

The door to the house snapped open, and Aldis came barreling in, eyes wide and a long cut down his left cheek, which dripped red.

“Screamers,” he breathed, staring at Kieron and Kleo.

Kieron jumped to his feet. “How many?” he asked, reaching for the blade attached to his belt. Kleo stayed where she was, staring at Aldis fearfully.

“At least a dozen,” he said, shaking his head, voice a little shaky. “Too many. Can’t fight.”

And then he pitched forward, legs failing him. Kieron surged forward and caught him before he could land face-first into the ground, and it was then I noticed the long, ragged gashes lining his back, red saturating his shirt.

“ _Shit_ ,” Kieron hissed, tugging Aldis toward the couch, where Kleo took him from her brother’s grasp and laid him out on the cushions.

“Looks bad,” Kleo said, shooting Kieron a glance.

I hurried toward the couch. “Anything I can do to help?”

Kieron stared down at Aldis for a long moment, chewing on his lower lip, before he looked at his sister. “Klee, take Aldis and Terry and get out of here.”

“What?” I asked, blinking at him. “What are you going to do?”

His grip on the blade tightened, knuckles blazing white. “Whatever I must. Now go.”

He turned and moved toward the open doorway. Kleo already had Aldis in her arms and began moving toward the kitchen. Apparently I was expected to follow. Instead I growled and darted toward Kieron.

“I’m staying here,” I said.

“Human – go.”

“No,” I hissed. “I’m not going! This is crazy! There’s a dozen of them out there! Do you know how many that is?”

“I think I’m pretty aware.”

“So I’m staying with you!”

“You have to go.”

He turned to face me, eyes scanning my face. I reached out toward him, catching hold of his shoulder.

“So come with me,” I said quietly, my voice lost of its strength because I didn’t like that look in his eyes.

That quiet, hidden apology.

The…

“You know I can’t do that,” he replied, voice just as quiet as mine.

            “Yes you can,” I said. “You can come with me, and…and we’ll run.”

            “They’ll follow.”

            “So we’ll keep running.”

            “They’re fast.”

            “We’ll be faster.”

            “Aldis is hurt.”

            “Kleo has him.”

            He shook his head and smiled faintly at me. I barely noticed it when his hand came up to grab onto my shoulder, just as mine was on his.

            “I’ll buy you guys some time,” he murmured. “So go with Kleo. I’ll buy you time to get away. You’ll be okay.”

            “I’m not leaving you,” I said, shaking my head, because there was no way I could leave him here to do this. Not against twelve screamers. Not on his own. Not when they could potentially be carrying that blade… Now my throat clogged and it was hard to breathe. “Please come with me.”

            His eyes softened. “I can’t do that,” he said, somewhat painfully. At least, it was painful for me to hear it. “This is my job, Terry. This is it. I got Aldis hurt. I did this.”

            “You didn’t,” I argued feebly. “You didn’t know.”

            “I knew the risks.”

            “You said it would be safer…that they wouldn’t risk coming into the city.”

            “I…” He hesitated and looked away. “I underestimated them. And for that I’m sorry.”

            _No. No, don’t apologize. Not like this._

            “Kieron,” I choked, “what are you saying?”

            He said nothing, only watched me for a long moment. I stared back at him, feeling my skin burn and itch, and my heart race pathetically in my chest. There was a lump in my throat I couldn’t ignore, no matter how hard I tried to swallow it down. A certain desperation had my fingers tightening on his shoulder, digging into his skin. There would be bruises later, but right now I didn’t care. I brought my other hand up and grabbed his other shoulder, squeezing tightly.

            “Kie,” I whispered, “please.”

            _Please what?_

_Please don’t do this._

            I wasn’t sure exactly what I didn’t want him to do…but I knew it left me breathless.

            He still said nothing. Instead, he leaned his head forward and rested his forehead against mine, allowing his eyes to close. For a long moment, we stood there like that, and it was so much worse than any words he could have said.

            “ _Kie_ ,” I choked when he pulled away, holding me at arm’s length. “ _Don’t_.”

            “Go with Kleo,” he said roughly. He turned just as a hand landed on my shoulder, and no matter how hard I tried to go after him, the hand held firm.

            “Kieron,” I hissed after him. “Don’t do this – Kieron!”

            _Please don’t do this. It’s crazy. It’s suicide, you idiot!_

            Instead of following him, I was forced to watch as he walked out of the house, shoulders set and grip firm on the blade. When he disappeared from sight, I rounded on the person holding me there, keeping me from going after him.

            “Let go,” I snapped at Kleo, who simply watched me.

            “I’m sorry,” she said quietly.

            And it was for so much more than holding me back.


	53. Bond Singularity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bond can be tricky. Hunting down Kieron is also tricky.

Chapter Fifty-Three: Bond Singularity

 

            I itched. My skin _burned_.

            With a gasp, my eyes flew open as I woke from a sleep I never meant to have. My fingers dug into the skin of my arms, scratching, rubbing, trying to make it _stop_ , and-

            “Kieron,” I breathed, looking around, a knot in my stomach and weight in my heart. I found myself in the middle of a small clearing. A few feet away sat a familiar woman. Kleo, I remembered. Her name was Kleo and the guy she was hovering over was Aldis, someone Kieron knew, and – “Where’s Kieron?”

            Kleo glanced toward me, expression guarded, before she returned her attention to Aldis. I growled quietly and got to my feet, approaching the two of them. Aldis didn’t look that great. He was pale, and his shirt was gone, revealing his bare, bruised and bloody chest. Bandages only did so much to stop the bleeding and hide the wound. Sweat glistened on his brow and there were dark rings under his eyes.

            “Where are we?” I asked. “How did we get here? Where’s Kieron?”

            _Obviously not here,_ my mind supplied. _And probably in danger if your itchy skin is anything to go by._

            I bit down hard on my lip and tried to ignore the itchiness coursing through me, but it was _hard_. My skin burned with _urgency_ , almost painful in a way, and there was nothing I could do. All I could do was scratch at the skin and try to get rid of it as much as I could.

            _I have to find Kieron._

            That was all there was to it. If I wanted this to stop, I had to find that stubborn perpetual. At least I was feeling something, though – even this annoyance was much better than the thought of feeling _nothing_. Kieron was alone with several screamers, any of which could be armed with that blade, and could consequently kill him. Actually _kill_ him. At least this way, with my skin itching and burning like this, I knew he was still alive. Maybe not _okay_ , but _alive_.

            “Where’s Kieron?” I growled when I still didn’t receive any sort of answer. For the most part, Kleo barely looked at me. Now she shot me a quick glance and shook her head, rubbing some kind of crushed plant over Aldis’ chest, before she finally sat back on her heels and gestured for me to sit next to her. I did so, watching her.

            “We are a few miles outside of town,” she said quietly. “Aldis could not travel any further in his condition. You refused to come quietly so I knocked you out with a simple herb. Sorry. Then I had to drag both of you here. Kieron is not here, as you know.”

            “Where is he? Damn it, he’s in trouble!”

            “I know,” she said, shaking her head. “I know he is, but there’s nothing we can do.”

            “Yes there is,” I snapped. “We go back there, and we fight with him. We help him.”

            “I cannot leave Aldis.”

            “Then I’ll go, just…point me in the right direction,” I said, because I technically had no idea where we were, but I’d be damned if I was going to let that stop me. I had to get to Kieron. It was this growing need inside of me, and my mind _burned_ … I brought a hand to my head and winced, blinking away the momentary rush of pain.

            Kleo watched me thoughtfully. “You are bound to my brother, aren’t you?”

            “We share a bond, yes.”

            She nodded somewhat, and bit down on her lower lip. “I didn’t think I’d ever see the day that…well. I just didn’t think he’d ever go for the whole ‘being bonded’ thing.”

            “It wasn’t his idea,” I mumbled. I wasn’t sure how much she knew about our situation, but I didn’t feel like filling her in now. There were more important matters at hand – like Kieron, and how I could get to him. “Tell me where he is, and I’ll go get him.”

            She shook her head and looked at Aldis. “I am sorry, Terry, but I can’t. In battle situations, Kieron is in charge. And he ordered me to take both you and Aldis to safety, which is what I did. I cannot allow you to go back.”

            I stared at her, bewildered. Did she just…? “But he’s your _brother_ ,” I said, frowning. “He’s _family_.”

            “Family means little to perpetuals.”

            Now I glared at her. “You seemed pretty friendly before all this shit happened.”

            She paused momentarily. “I missed him a little. I grew up with him always there, and then he vanished. It was nice to catch up.” A faint smile crossed her face, before it vanished. “But that does not mean I can help you. I have my orders, Terry. And apparently I am to keep you safe. Kieron told me you were important.”

            “Fuck important,” I muttered, “just tell which way to get to Kieron.”

            “I cannot.”

            “Can’t…? Fuck, they’re _hurting_ him,” I said, because I could feel it. Shivers tore through my body, faint echoes of sharp pain, and my skin itched like my pores were nothing but rashes. Kieron was in trouble, hurt, injured, and I had to find him. I had to get to him – I had to _help him_.

            The burning stabbed sharply into my left leg. I glanced down, certain I’d been hit, but there was nothing there. Just this bizarre, shadow pain which left me biting down on my lower lip to keep from making a sound. Another hotness slashed across my back, and I could not suppress the cry which sprang from my lips. My hands shot to my back but came back perfectly normal. No blood, despite the pain, and almost as soon as the pain occurred, it was gone again. It did not stay.

            I was mildly grateful for that, at least.

            Kleo was staring at me now, mouth halfway open in what I assumed was shock.

            “What?” I asked quietly.

            “You just…is that from your bond? With Kieron?”

            “I guess? I don’t know.”

            “You feel his pain.”

            “Maybe? It’s just short bursts, and-”

            Kleo shook her head and got to her feet, now at eye-level. Her hand rested firmly on my shoulder. “You do not understand. It is not every day that someone feels the pain of their bond-mate.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “It is just…rare. Especially with perpetuals. Interesting. What else have you been feeling?”

            I groaned as another slash of ghostly pain ran through me. “Please, can we do this another time? I have to find Kieron. Okay? I have to. I have to go back for him. He’s come after me so many times, I…I can’t just leave him,” I said, watching her, hoping I wouldn’t have to beg, but damn it, a part of me assured me that I _would_ if it would help.

            I couldn’t let Kieron do this by himself. I couldn’t let him _die_.

            I hadn’t let him die when we were captured and I wasn’t going to let it happen now. He was an idiot if he thought I would just willingly walk away. He never left me behind, even when all I did was cause him pain, and I would now return the favor. I wouldn’t leave him alone with those screamers – I would find him, and I would help him.

            Because there was no other option.

            Kleo’s expression softened somewhat. “You care for him.”

            “Well – yeah? Don’t you? He’s your brother.”

            “That is different. You do realize he can never feel the same, right?”

            “I…”

            “He is a perpetual – of the _mikaren_ class, which means-”

            “I know what it means,” I said, slightly irritated. “It means ‘he who fights’. I know. But I’m really getting tired of hearing that he can’t feel anything!”

            “He can feel things,” she said, pausing momentarily. “But only the simplest of emotions. Anger; elation; confusion; fear… But not love, Terry. That does not exist in our kind, least of all for him.”

            “What do you mean, for _him_?”

            She shook her head somewhat sadly. “It is just the way it is.”

            I shook my head – we didn’t have time for this. “Just tell me which direction it is. I’m going after him.”

            “I do not think that is wise.”

            “I don’t care – tell me!”

            “Terry…Kieron ordered me to take both you and Aldis to safety,” she said, watching me. “When it comes to battle, he is in charge – I cannot disobey him. Plus, you are his bonded. I cannot allow harm to befall you.”

            I glared at her. “I’ll decide that for myself, thanks. Just…” I scrubbed a hand over my face. “Please. This is driving me crazy. I have to find him, okay? You don’t have to come, just…point me in the right direction.”

            She was acting completely different than when I first met her, in Aldis’ home when things were okay. Either because of the stress and pressure, I wasn’t sure, but she was different and I didn’t like it.

            She watched me for a long moment, quietly chewing on her lower lip, and I knew I could win this.

            “Please,” I said quietly, reaching out to touch a hand to her shoulder. “You don’t have to come with me, just…tell me where he is. He’s your brother – I know you don’t want him to be hurt, right? Please, just…help me.”

            For a moment, she remained silent, before she finally gave into a loud sigh and nodded slowly. “Alright,” she whispered, “I probably shouldn’t, but I can see why you’re bound to my brother. Okay. I’ll tell you where to find him.”

 

 

Aldis’ house was empty when I arrived at it a few hours later, but that was to be expected. I knew no one would be there, but I had hoped for _something_ , at least. I found nothing except a few smears of blood, either Kieron’s or Aldis’, I wasn’t sure. On the porch, I found more blood, ragged puddles of it, smears of it along the ground and walls, and knew a struggle obviously took place here. Not all of it was Aldis’ and with the way my skin was burning, I knew Kieron was hurt.

            But he was still alive – that was what was important. I didn’t like that he was hurt, but he’d get better. He healed quickly. The one thing he couldn’t heal from…

            Well, I was going to make sure it didn’t happen.

            Growling to myself, I tore away from the house and looked down the street. The place looked completely abandoned, but I knew that wasn’t the case. When we’d first arrived, there had been a lot of people walking around, some human in appearance, others not. Those odd hover-jets had been moving down the un-paved street. There was _life_ here, but right now, all I could see was this vast, empty stillness which left my stomach churning.

            Nauseous. I felt nauseous, and my skin burned and itched. My leg was on fire. Needles were pinpricks against my too-sensitive skin, and there was nothing I could do about it because it wasn’t _physical_. At least, not for me. It wasn’t _my_ pain. It was _Kieron’s_. According to Kleo, it was odd that I felt what he felt, that I could feel his pain, but I couldn’t think about that right now. Not when I could stop this pain, not when I could _help him_.

            _Kieron, where are you?_

            So much empty stillness. Everywhere I looked, there was nothing. It was like the place was suddenly abandoned, but I _knew better_ , damn it.

            I stomped down the street and toward the nearest house, where I raised my fist and knocked quickly on the door. No one answered, and I growled to myself and moved onto the next house, with the same results. At the third house, I twisted the knob when only silence answered me, but the door was locked. At the fourth house, all thoughts of kindness left my mind and I rammed my shoulder into the wood, but found the door to be rather strong. For the next two houses I tried this. At the seventh house, I tried a window. I looked in, knocked on it, and tried to open it, but nothing happened. No one was there.

            No one was there but _me_.

            For a long moment, I stood on an empty porch and stared at the door before me. It was hard to think with my skin burning as it was, but I tried. I tried to think of where the people were, where they might have gone, where _Kieron_ might be…

            But I was only a pathetically weak human, and there was nothing I could do. I had little combat training, as we hadn’t trained in a while now, since before the hotel. I could barely do anything against _one_ screamer, let alone a _dozen_. If anyone stood a chance, it was Kieron. Logically, he made the right decision, I would begrudgingly admit. He was trained for this sort of them – trained to handle pain, trained to _fight_. I was not. Neither was Kleo, apparently. Aldis wasn’t even a perpetual, so I doubted he could really do much against a screamer. Now he was hurt, maybe even _dead_ for all I knew. He hadn’t been looking very well when I left him and Kleo a few hours ago.

            Even if I _did_ find Kieron, what could I do? Could I save him? Could I get him out of there, or simply get myself killed? Get us _both_ killed?

            I was useless.

            Kieron had saved my life so many times – and I couldn’t return the favor. I managed to help get us out of the cells, but in the end, our freedom was all Kieron’s doing. All I did was wake him up and get the handcuffs off – that was it. I was useless, pathetic…

            _Human_.

            I was _human_.

            No wonder everyone hated me so damn much! I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t help Kieron. I couldn’t help the person I was _bonded to_ , the person who practically let people _rape him_ simply because he felt I should be able to stay in a _hotel_. The person who _went into a city_ when cities apparently _didn’t like perpetuals_. Why did he do this? _For me_. He did it for _me_.

            And how did I repay him?

            Angrily, I kicked my foot out, ramming it into the firm wood of the door. The frame didn’t even shake, even as I continued to kick and shove at it, punching at it until my knuckles were scraped and bloody.

            Something finally did give way – but not the door.

            “ _Gah_ ,” I yelped when the bones in my left hand shifted somewhat. I yanked my hand to my chest and cradled it, wincing as I looked down at it. “Fuck. Damn it.”

            I didn’t think it was _broken_ , exactly, but it was starting to swell already. Probably fractured or something. I wasn’t a doctor – I didn’t know.

            Either way, it _hurt_ …

            But for a minute, I forgot about the bond. I forgot about the way my skin itched and burned, forgot about the pain echoing through me, phantom in its origin. I stared at my hand for a long moment, before I sighed heavily and shook my head.

            This was only distracting me – and while it helped that I wasn’t _feeling_ things like I was…it wouldn’t help me find Kieron.

            _Kieron, damn it…where are you, you bastard?_

            The last time I saw him…

            I tried not to think about it, because that look in his eyes…

            _“I underestimated them. And for that I’m sorry.”_

_“Go with Kleo.”_

            I snapped my eyes shut and scrubbed a hand over my face. I went with Kleo. I left Kieron there to fight alone. I _abandoned_ him.

            I didn’t want to. Hell, I couldn’t even remember _leaving_ , save for when Kleo held me back and left me forced to watch as Kieron _walked away_ …

            That didn’t matter. I still left him.

            And I had no way of finding him.

            “ _Fuck,_ ” I hissed, stumbling into the door, throwing my hands out to catch myself as a sharp pain slid through my stomach, a phantom fire I didn’t understand and had no way of putting out. As my hurt hand made contact with the door and pressure was added to it, the pain increased, leaving me breathless as I groaned and slid to the ground, landing on my knees, my head bowed forward, forehead resting against the door.

            _Fuck, fuck, fuck…what was that? Kieron, what are they doing to you?_

            I had no answers, but thankfully the sudden sharpness dispersed rather quickly. The pain echoed through me, a reminder of what happened, but I could breathe again. I pulled away from the door and pushed to my feet, looking around, scanning the area.

            For the pain to be like that, and for me to feel it so sharply…

            That meant he was close, right? He had to be. Kieron was nearby somewhere, but there was no one to ask. No one was around.

            _Why not?_

            Where did they go?

            But I didn’t have time to find out, because suddenly-

            “Oh God,” I hissed as I pressed the palm of my hand to my forehead, pushing at it as a sharp pain throbbed through my mind, some unknown headache sparking to life, demanding attention. Bile rose in my throat and I hurriedly swallowed it down because I didn’t have _time_ for this, God _damn it_ …

            _Now._

            My eyes snapped open.

            _Right now._

            I had to find Kieron.

            _Urgency._

            Something was wrong.

            _Run._

            Wrong, wrong, _wrong_ …

            _Run now._

            My legs moved of their own accord, and suddenly I was running. I didn’t know where I was going, but apparently my legs knew, because they turned down an alley and kept going, faster and faster – had to hurry; hurry, hurry, hurry; had to run. Run.

            _Run_.

            _‘Human…’_

            I gasped.

            Stopped.

            Looked around.

            “Kieron?” I whispered, because I _knew_ that voice, damn it. I knew that voice, knew it shouldn’t sound like that, knew it- “Kieron, where are you?”

            I looked around again but I was completely alone. There was no one there. No shadows, no screamers, no people…

            No Kieron.

            But I heard him – right? I did. Faint, shaky, weak – but definitely there.

            I didn’t like his voice sounding like that. It left my body crawling with _wrong_ , because this was _Kieron_ , and he wasn’t shaky or _weak_ , damn it! He wasn’t! He was strong, and for him to sound like that…

            “Kieron, where are you?” I called again, quieter this time, not expecting an actual answer. I couldn’t help it, though. The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could think. “Please – Kie, where are you?”

            _Urgency_. It rushed through me again. Again I was running, unsure as to where I was going, but somehow, I was sure my body knew where it was going. While I was confused, my feet made turns, rounded corners, slunk in the shadows, and pretty much left me not only perplexed, but breathless as well.

            _Pain_. Sharp. Quick. Across the back of my left shoulder.

            _Not real,_ I told myself. _It’s not real. Keep going. Not real. Find him._

            Because that was all that mattered – finding Kieron. I wasn’t sure when he became more important than the pain shooting through me, than the urgency squashing any rational thought of _stopping_ , but he was. He was more important than…

            Well…just more important.

            When this happened, I didn’t know. Gradually I enjoyed his company. Preferred it, even. Came to expect it. _Wanted_ to have sex with him – _wanted_ to be in his presence, _wanted_ to touch him and get him to smile…

            _Whoa. What?_

            Okay. He did have a nice smile. But then, so did a lot of people. He didn’t even smile often!

            But maybe that was what made those smiles so much more important…

            Growling, I shut those thoughts down, because I was getting sidetracked. It was hard to really focus on much of anything at the moment, save for the rambling thoughts which echoed through my head. I tried to figure out where I was going, but every time I tried, I slowed down and suddenly my feet didn’t know where to go, so I stopped thinking about it. I tried not to think about the burning itchiness, or the pain, or anything, but my mind kept returning to one thing.

            _Run_.

            A simple word. One syllable. Three letters. Easy, right?

            But _why_? Why run? Why this sense of frantic urgency? Kieron was okay. Hurt, injured, fighting, probably about to be _more_ injured, but he was _okay_. He was alive, and I would make sure he stayed that way.

            Because I had to.

            I couldn’t _not_ find him. I couldn’t _not_ help him.

            I couldn’t…

            And suddenly it was so simple.

            _I can’t lose him._

            So very, very simple.

            _I can’t lose him. Not like this – not because of me. Not because I’m pathetic and weak and human. Have to find him. Hang on, Kie – I’m coming._

            Or, at least, I _was_.

            But movement behind me caught my attention. It was quick, merciless, and my back crashed against the wall as a hand snagged my shirt and _threw me_. From there I slid to the ground, back against the wall. Winded, I struggled to catch my breath and heard the snarl before someone moved in front of me. I snapped my eyes closed because I couldn’t move, couldn’t stop this from happening, couldn’t even-

            And abruptly, the incoming attack _stopped_. Silence surrounded me and I chanced opening my eyes, looking at my attacker.

            Confused and exhausted blue eyes stared at me.

            I gasped and got to my feet.

            “Terry?”

            “ _Kieron_.”


	54. The Reading

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Elders are met and perform a Reading. Also, your dreams might have some merit after all. If you can remember them.

Chapter Fifty-Four: The Reading

 

I stared at the immortal standing in front of me, my heart racing in my chest. In the next second, I was flying forward, wrapping my arms tightly around him, feeling all that pent-up anxiety finally starting to calm. My skin slowly stopped burning so much and the iron bands around my lungs disappeared, allowing me to _breathe_ again.

            Kieron was stiff in my hold at first, but finally loosened. I nearly gasped when I felt his arms come up to wrap around me as well, because that was certainly not something I expected. But his hold was firm and tight, and his body was warm, and I was just so happy he was there and okay. I buried my face into his chest and breathed deeply, waiting while my body and mind calmed. His heartbeat thudded against my own chest, in time with mine, and I felt like I could finally breathe again.

            “What are you doing here?” he asked quietly, lightly shoving me away. I didn’t want to let go but I did, and took a step back before dragging my gaze up toward his face. I found no anger hidden there, only confusion.

            And blood.

            “Oh God,” I breathed, stomach churning, “you’re hurt.”

            I remembered the phantom pain shooting through me several times, leaving me with this sense of _urgency_. Quickly I looked him over, stepping toward him to run my hands up and down his sides. He hissed when my hands connected with long gashes, and my hands came away red. I looked down at my shirt to find it soaked in blood as well, from hugging him.

            “How bad?” I managed to ask, staring at him, unable to bring myself to look further. I knew there were other injuries – the phantom pain told me that, but I wanted to hear it from him.

            He shook his head. “I’ll live. What are you doing here?” His eyes narrowed. “I specifically told you to leave. Is Kleo here?”

            “No, she’s not. I convinced her to tell me,” I said, frowning at him. “And what do you mean, what am I doing here? Damn it, you can’t just run off like that and… You can’t, okay? Because frankly, if you’re going to get hurt, I’d like to know by _being at your side_ and not by some stupid phantom pain!”

            For a long moment, he stared at me. I blinked back, wondering what would happen next, because I had no idea. The adrenaline which had coursed through me during my frantic search for the perpetual was now fading, and I felt _exhausted_. My limbs felt heavy and my eyelids drooped but there was no time for any of that.

            “You can feel it when I’m hurt?” he asked, face scrunching up somewhat, and I nodded.

            “Yeah. I can. Why? Isn’t it part of the bond?”

            I remembered Kleo’s words from earlier, about how it was very rare to feel the other’s pain – at least it was with perpetuals, and more-so with Kieron. I didn’t know what that meant but I wanted to find out. I felt it when Kieron was in trouble through the bond, so why couldn’t I feel it when he was hurt? Didn’t it only make sense to feel his injuries as the bond grew?

            Because it _was_ growing, I knew. More and more I didn’t want to be parted from him, and I knew I didn’t want anything like that before. More and more I just wanted to help him, wanted to… _protect_ him, even though I was only a weak human and he was… well, he was _Kieron_. He didn’t _need_ protection, and yet… he did. Because if given the choice, he’d run into a battle, and leave me behind, and I couldn’t let that happen again.

            “Can we please get out of here?” I asked.

            He sighed and nodded. I knew he hadn’t answered my question earlier, about the bond, but right now wasn’t the time. Right now it was time to run, because I still remembered the urgency. Kieron was hurt and needed help, because that was a lot of blood, and only from the one injury that I noticed. I knew he was hurt elsewhere, but I kept coming back to those claw marks.

            Would he be ‘shutting down’ soon? Would he have to ‘die’ to heal?

            I hoped not.

            “This way, human,” he said gruffly, turning the march out of the shadows. I quickly followed after him.

            For a long moment, we moved in silence. We made it back to Aldis’ house and entered, closing the door behind us with a quiet snap. I tried to ignore the blood on the couch, and the blood staining Kieron’s clothes. Once there, he turned to look at me.

            “What are you doing here, human?”

            I scowled. “You left me with Kleo,” I said. “I told you it was crazy to take them on by yourself! And what do you do? You do exactly that! And I had to feel it when you got hurt and it was driving me _crazy_ , okay? So… yeah! I had to come!”

            “You shouldn’t have.”

            “Yeah, well… you always went back for _me_ ,” I muttered, because why was it okay for him to do so for me, but when I did it, it was wrong? Was it just because he was stronger than me?

            Kieron snapped his mouth shut and stared at me.

            I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. “Are you okay?”

            “I’ll live,” he said again.

            “I know _that_ – I mean… how are your injuries? Are you going to ‘shut down’?”

            He shook his head, and I relaxed a little. “I’m just tired, but I’m not going to collapse yet.”

            “Yet?”

            “Well, eventually I’m going to fall asleep, but it’s not entirely urgent.”

            I nodded slowly. “Are they still coming?”

            “Yes. Which is why we need to hurry.”

            With that, he turned on his heel and entered the kitchen. I frowned and chased after him, lest he try to take off on me again. He opened one of the lower cabinets and crouched, searching through its contents before he smiled and pulled out our duffel bag. I blinked at the familiar bag, unaware it had even been absent until now. He turned his back to me and pulled his shirt over his head, wincing somewhat, muscles tight and stiff as he tossed it to the ground. I tried not to focus on the blood staining his otherwise pristine skin, surrounding the claw marks, of course. It amazed me how even though I _knew_ a sword once when through his back and out his chest, there was no mark of it left behind. No scars or anything.

            He pulled a clean shirt out of the duffel and tugged it on before he started to move around the kitchen, tossing various containers and whatnot into the bag, before he zipped it closed and looked at me from where he now stood next to the backdoor. “Ready, human?”

            I nodded. “Let’s go.”

            He exited through the backdoor and I followed after him. When we left the area, though, I noticed it wasn’t into the same direction I came from after I left Kleo. Frowning, I glanced at him.

            “Are we not meeting up with Kleo and Aldis?” I asked.

            He hesitated, before he shrugged. “No. I have something I need to do.”

            “What?”

            He shook his head and didn’t reply, instead quickening his pace. Sighing, I hurried after him, feeling like some lost puppy trying not to get left behind by its owner. I scowled at the thought because I was certainly not anyone’s puppy, and Kieron wasn’t my owner.

            I didn’t belong to anyone, after all.

            A moment later, he stopped and looked at me. “You don’t have to come with me,” he said quietly.

            I frowned. “Huh?”

            He shrugged. “It might take a while, and… well, I’m not entirely sure how they’ll react to _my_ presence, let alone _your_ presence. I won’t force you, but you can’t meet up with Kleo if you want to.”

            “You won’t force me?” I asked, staring, because most of the time he was ordering me around and I never had a say in the matter. He shrugged again and I watched him, assessing him. It was a little hard to look past the dried blood on his skin, though. He looked exhausted, yet determined, and I couldn’t let him go alone.

            He’d dragged me this far, right? I might as well go all the way.

            “Think I’ll stick with you,” I said. “I mean, you have this nasty habit of getting yourself hurt when I’m not around, so… yeah, think I should say with you.”

            “Oh really?”

            I nodded. “Mm, yes. Stick to your side. Very close to your side.” I inched closer, practically touching him.

            He snorted and lightly shoved me away. I grinned and shoved at him as well, though he barely moved. We walked in silence for about fifteen minutes before he sighed and glanced at me.

            “So, why are you here, human?”

            I looked at him to find him watching me. I opened my mouth to speak but then snapped it shut, frowning. Finally I shrugged. “I just wanted to find you,” I murmured, shaking my head as I averted my gaze toward the ground. There had been nothing but a burning need to find him, _quickly_ , and my body and mind demanded it. A rational part of my mind knew it was risky to return here, to come looking for Kieron alone, or even at all because I was human, and there were several screamers.

            But the screamers didn’t want me dead, according to the Master. No, he wanted me alive, though I wasn’t sure why. He wanted to bond with me, but that meant killing Kieron to do so. And I wouldn’t let anything happen to Kieron. I owed it to him to at least _try_ and keep him safe, because he’d done so much for me. Hell, he even allowed himself to be forced into _sex_ because of _me_ , so _I_ could stay in a hotel room, where it was nice and comfortable. My fault. He did it for me. He came back for me so many times…

            I couldn’t let anything happen to him. The bond aside, my conscience wouldn’t allow it. The bond only amplified this feeling.

            “You ordered me away,” I sighed, shaking my head, feeling his gaze on me. “And I told you not to do it, Kie. You could’ve…”

            “I’m fine, human.”

            I shrugged. “I know that _now_ , but…” I bit down hard on my lower lip, hesitating momentarily. “But I felt the pain, and… and the _burning_ and this sense of _urgency_ and I… Kieron, don’t do that again, okay?” Finally I pulled my gaze away from the ground and looked at him.

            He blinked at me, frowning somewhat, before he finally nodded. “You don’t need to worry, human.”

            My eyes narrowed into little slits. “They could have had that _knife_ , or did you forget?”

            His eyes darkened. “No, I didn’t _forget_.”

            “They want you dead, Kieron.”

            “I’m aware.”

            “They only want to capture me.”

            “Mm, your point?”

            I glared. “So why the hell didn’t you just _come with me_?”

            He shook his head. “This isn’t about just you, Terry. Kleo doesn’t have fighting experience, and Aldis was hurt. It was logical to send you all away.”

            “But you didn’t have to do that on your own! Damn it, Kieron! We share a _bond_ , okay? And I don’t know exactly what that means but when you get hurt, I feel it too, and then there’s the _burning_ and…” I broke off and shook my head, my heart beginning to race in my chest as I remembered the sensation of the phantom pain, and that horrible sense of _urgency_. “You could have taken me with you.”

            “Human-”

            “They wouldn’t hurt me,” I said, cutting him off as I tossed him a sharp look. “They don’t want to hurt me. They only want to capture me, but you… they want to kill _you_ , Kie. They specifically want you _dead_. Okay?”

            “What are you trying to say, human?”

            I bit down on my lip, because suddenly I wasn’t so sure. There was a point in there somewhere, but finding it was suddenly hard to do. All I knew was I felt so _angry_ as his complete disregard for his own well-being. It was like he didn’t _care_ what happened to him – he was all too willing to go into combat, even when the odds were entirely stacked against him.

            And damn it… that _look_ in his eyes, before he ordered me away with Kleo and Aldis... Before he stepped out of the house and disappeared from view…

            That look…

            I closed my eyes and sighed, shaking my head slowly. “Just… don’t do it again, okay, Kieron?” I blinked my eyes open and looked at him. “You can’t. Like it or not, you’re tied to me now, and I don’t like seeing you in pain… or feeling your pain, for that matter. Okay?”

            He frowned.

            “I mean… if you’re going to get hurt, the least you could do is let me be by your side so I can _see_ the injury and not just feel it right out of nowhere, okay?”

            He paused for a moment before he gave into a slow shrug and nodded somewhat. “Alright, human,” he sighed. “I’ll do my best to only get hurt in your presence.”

            I would have growled at him if it weren’t for that little upward twitch of his lips, the prelude to a grin he hid by turning away from me, beginning to walk again. I stared at his back briefly before I sighed and hurried after him.

 

 

_Running. I was running._

_Fast._

_Not fast enough._

_Blood – wet, sticky on my hands, red gloves I never wanted._

No.

_Anger._

**No.**

_Pain. Burning. Igniting my skin, my nerves ablaze._

_**No!**_

“Terry!”

            I came awake with a terrified wheeze, immediately sitting up as my eyes snapped open wide. My hand shot out at whoever hovered over me, but my wrist was instantly caught in a firm yet gentle hold. Fractured, distorted images shot through my mind, too quickly for me to decipher or even begin to understand.

            “K-Kieron,” I managed to push out, gaze locking onto his face. His dark eyes narrowed at me as he sat practically right on top of me, he was leaning so close, his face so close to mine.

            “Terry?” he asked, frowning. “Are you okay?”

            I took in a few slow breaths and nodded. “Yeah, I’m… I’m okay. Sorry, just… just a bad dream, that’s all.”

            I couldn’t exactly remember it, only knew it was bad. Horrible, even. Just thinking about it left shivers crawling up and down my spine. I didn’t want to remember it, or any of the other random nightmares I’d had lately.

            Kieron frowned at me for a long moment, before he shrugged and backed away somewhat. As his fingers slid away from my wrist, a part of my mind panicked and I instantly reached my hand out, snagging his hand in a tight hold. When my mind caught up with my movements, Kieron was already watching me with this odd look on his face, but he didn’t pull away. I wasn’t entirely sure what to think about that.

            I didn’t pull away, either. Instead I sat there on the ground, hard dirt beneath me, and I gripped Kieron’s hand tightly. Neither of us moved to yank away.

            I inched a little closer, biting on the inside of my cheek. Kieron had yet to growl at me or pull away, and I wasn’t sure why I was doing this, but I couldn’t stop. Closer I moved, until we were finally touching, and I slowly wrapped my arms around him in a very slow hug.

            He stiffened slightly at the contact, and I held my breath, but he didn’t pull away. Slowly, so slowly, his own arms came up and wound around me in return, and I could breathe again. My fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, nails scratching lightly against the skin beneath it.

            “Sorry,” I murmured. “I just…”

            “How long have you been having nightmares?” he asked quietly.

            I frowned. “I don’t know. I don’t really remember them afterward… but a while, I think.”

            “What do you remember about them?”

            “I don’t know…” I paused, thinking. “Burning. I remember this burning pain. And… I don’t know. This sense of urgency. That’s about it…”

            There was more to it, and I knew that, but I couldn’t recall what it was. All I remembered after I woke from those dreams was a vague sense of fear and pain, but that was all. And…

            My hold on the perpetual tightened somewhat. “I… Kieron, I think you were in it.”

            There was a long pause, before he breathed out a sigh. “Okay. Well… get some more sleep. We’re leaving in a few hours.”

            At the somewhat flat tone of his voice, I pulled away enough to look him in the eye. “Kie?” I asked softly, frowning. “What is it?”

            He shook his head and pulled away, leaving my arms to drop to my sides. “Get some sleep, Terry.”

            And then he stood and walked away, and I was too stunned at the use of my name to even call after him.

 

 

A day later we reached our destination, according to Kieron. I stared up at the cliff-side and frowned, turning to ask Kieron where we were, but he wasn’t next to me anymore. Quickly, I looked around and spotted him walking around a large boulder. I hurried after him and we entered what appeared to be a hidden cave opening. He stopped just before he entered the total darkness, and I squinted to see him with what light was still available.

            “You don’t have to come,” he said.

            I scowled. “I’m going with you, so let’s go.”

            He snorted before he grabbed my hand, startling me.

            “Kie?”

            “You can’t possibly see a thing in here, and I don’t need you getting lost,” he muttered, “so deal with it.”

            With that, he led me forward, and I hid a smile. And he was right, I couldn’t see a damn thing in here. Occasionally I tripped on loose rocks but Kieron was pretty good about telling me where to be careful, so I never actually fell over or anything. Of course, that could have been because Kieron had superhuman reflexes and kept balancing me before that could happen.

            For a while we walked in silence, save for Kieron’s occasional warnings about loose rocks and whatnot. I wondered where we were going and what could possibly be in here, and how he even knew where he was going. Had he been here before? When? Why?

            Why did he keep telling me I didn’t have to come? He said he wasn’t sure how they would react to my presence, or his. Who was he worried about? Who was here? I didn’t know, but I was going to find out. I was tired of the secrets, of the mystery, and of not knowing anything when it clearly involved me. I wasn’t sure what it was about me that was so damn important, but apparently there was something, and I intended to find out.

            I wanted to know why I was here; why I was now bonded to Kieron; why it was _imperative_ that I bond with _Kieron_ ; why the Master wanted me; why _me_ …

            That was what it came down to.

            _Why me_.

            There was nothing special about me other than the fact I could apparently see Kieron’s blue hair and changed features when apparently other humans could not. That was it – there was nothing else. Except now I was bonded to a reluctant, infuriating perpetual, and I was in freaking _Atlantis_.

            _Why me_.

            Why me, when there were better people out there? Smarter people – _stronger_ people. _Better_ people.

            _Why me_.

            I had no idea. In the beginning, Kieron seemed just as confused as me, so I couldn’t blame him for not giving me those answers. He seemed practically furious at the thought that he had to bond with me, so I knew it wasn’t his doing – choosing me. Not his fault, but why me?

            The hand grasping my own tightened and I blinked, torn from my thoughts at the bright light now surrounding us. It took a long moment for my human eyes to adjust, but I finally looked at Kieron, who stood watching me.

            “Wait here,” he said softly.

            I frowned but didn’t argue, because at least I was out of the darkness. Kieron wouldn’t leave me here – that much I knew. He could argue all he wanted, but he did care. I knew that much. I knew he wouldn’t leave me here to find my own way out of here, through the darkness.

            So I watched as he moved forward, toward an opening which housed what looked like a steel door. I wondered why there was such a thing in a cave, but didn’t question it. He knocked lightly on the door, growled something through it, and then pushed it open. Then he disappeared through it and the door closed behind him, leaving me standing there, staring in his wake.

            I lost track of how long I stood there, looking around the lighted area I found myself in, but finally the door creaked open and a figure stepped through.

            “Terry?” the figure asked.

            “Where’s Kieron?” I asked in return, narrowing my eyes.

            Brown eyes narrowed at me. “Follow me.”

            Then he turned and walked through the doorway, and after a brief moment of hesitation, I followed after him.

            As soon as the door closed behind us, I was yanked aside and pushed against the wall. Growling beneath my breath, I flailed my arms about, swatting at the figure, but he simply scowled at me.

            “It’s protocol,” he said with a touch of disdain. “You cannot see where you’re going.”

            I frowned and then looked at the cloth he held in his hands. “A blindfold?”

            “Yes.”

            “No.” I shook my head.

            “You don’t have a choice.”

            With that, he pushed me more against the wall and spun me around in the same fluid movement, my chest now pressed against the wall. The cloth slid over my eyes and tied behind my head. I reached up to undo it and got smacked for my efforts.

            “If you insist on being difficult, I will bind your hands.”

            I swallowed and shook my head. “No, that’s… that’s okay.”

            I didn’t want that to happen _again_. It had happened way too much recently… first with Rufus, then the screamers, then John… No. No more.

            I wasn’t particularly fond of the blindfold, but I didn’t want that added with my hands being bound again.

            A hand landed on my shoulder. “This way, then.”

            I had no choice but to allow him to lead me.

            For a few minutes we walked in silence, before he shoved me forward and I tripped somewhat. I startled when new, warm hands caught me carefully, but felt myself relax because I knew this touch. I wasn’t sure _how_ I knew it, but I did.

            “Kieron,” I murmured.

            “Human,” he said in return, tugging the blindfold off me. I blinked at him but he looked okay, just a little tense.

            “What’s going on? Where are we?” I asked.

            He shook his head and looked over my shoulder. I spun around to find several people sitting at a large table, all watching me with mixtures of fascination and bitter disdain, like they ate something foul.

            “This is the human?” one of them asked in a heavy accent I couldn’t place.

            Kieron stepped forward so he was slightly in front of me. “Yes, this is Terry.”

            “Kie, what’s going on?” I murmured, reaching out to catch his arm, but he shook me off. “Kie?”

            “This is your bonded one.”

            “Yes,” Kieron said with a nod. “He can see us.”

            Hushed murmurs broke out between the members of the table until one at the far left raised a hand a silence fell over them. The one with the raised hand looked at me, gray eyes narrowed into suspicious slits.

            “Are you sure, Kieron?”

            “Pretty sure,” Kieron said. “I mean, c’mon – he’s being hunted. And now they’re not too fond of me, either.”

            “We heard rumors… but are you absolutely sure?”

            “Yes,” Kieron said again. “Do your reading if you have to.”

            “Reading?” I asked, earning a quick glare from Kieron which left me snapping my mouth shut.

            Another hushed conversation broke out. I wondered if Kieron could hear what they were saying, and if he’d tell me if I asked. Probably not.

            Finally, the one on the far left looked at me again.

            “Human Terry, please step forward. Kieron, you too.”

            I shot a quick glance at Kieron to see him already complying, and thus I followed after him. We approached the table and I nervously looked from one face to another. Some had odd hair colors, like green and orange, but most looked relatively normal. There were eight in total sitting at the table, all on the same side of it, watching the two of us.

            “Present your wrists.”

            Kieron did so slowly and I followed suit, frowning.

            The person in front of us stood, and they raised their hands, now turned into sharp claws. One hand snagged Kieron’s wrist and the other grabbed mine, claws sinking deep into the flesh as blood dribbled quickly down my arm, leaving me gasping and trying to pull away. Kieron remained still even as blood dripped from him as well. The hand around my wrist tightened.

            “Struggling will make this worse,” the person – perpetual? – said to me.

            It took a minute but I managed to stop moving.

            Drained. I felt so _drained_.

            Images flashed through my mind. Fractured, too quick for me to decipher. I saw myself in the woods when I first met Kieron. Then in my apartment, him growling at me to tell him what color his hair was. Then Ethereal… and everything from then on, in quick, short bursts of memory and images.

            All the way up until those nightmares.

            Blood. On the ground, around me, coating my hands. Fear. Urgency.

            _Hurry, hurry, gotta hurry._

            Burning pain. Desperate.

            _No. No._

            I was torn violently from the images and all but flung myself away from them, staggering backward and collapsing to my ass as I tripped over my feet, tears burning my eyes though I wasn’t entirely sure _why_. My heart raced wildly in my chest and there was this rushing sound in my ears which was all I could hear for a long moment. My vision blurred but finally it began to clear, and I saw Kieron’s hazy face start to come into view, and felt the weight of his hands on my shoulders, registered the way his lips moved as he called out to me, finally started to hear his voice calling my name…

            “-rry… Terry!”

            I blinked quickly. “Kieron?”

            He sighed and looked back at the others. “He’s okay.”

            “What… what was that?” I asked, causing him to look back at me. “What happened?”

            “That was a reading,” he said with a tired smirk. “It kind of sucks. Probably should have mentioned that.”

            “A warning would have been nice,” I said with a brief nod.

            I looked down at my burning wrists to find them slick with blood. Kieron’s hands left my shoulders and he turned somewhat, talking to someone. When he turned back toward me, he held some bandages in his hands, which he wrapped around my wrists without a word. I caught sight of his own bloody wrists and reached for the bandages to do the same for him, but he pulled away and shook his head.

            “I’m fine,” he said. “Quick healing and all.”

            I frowned but nodded, not wanting to argue. The wounds didn’t look that bad and already seemed to be healing a little. It was amazing, really.

            “So what’s the verdict?” Kieron asked as he got to his feet and turned, facing the table again. I struggled to my feet as well, watching them.

            “We believe you are telling the truth,” the one with the claws said, looking a little pale. “The rumors are true. The predetermined is happening.”

            “What’s that mean?” I asked, stepping forward to stand next to the blue-haired perpetual.

            Dark eyes focused on me before they looked at Kieron. Kieron nodded and turned to me.

            “Let’s go, human.”

            “Go where? Why?”

            “They need to talk,” he told me. “We’ve been given rooms to stay for the night.”

            I nodded slowly. I wanted to argue but I really wasn’t sure if I trusted those people and I wanted to get away from them… at least for the time being. My wrists were still burning and some of those images were still racing through my mind.

            I followed Kieron out of the room and down a small hallway, which led to some kind of building of sorts. The hallway wasn’t made with walls, I realized – it was some kind of cave tunnel but with doors on each end. The lighting was made with torches aligning the sides.

            We pushed open the door at the end of the tunnel and found the building off to the right, down a narrow path. We moved toward the building and were granted entrance by two people standing near the front door. They opened it for us and we entered, walking down a lavish hallway before Kieron stopped and pointed at a door.

            “That’s your room,” he said.

            “Where’s yours?” I asked, frowning.

            He gestured at another door, three down from mine. “If you need me, I’ll be there.”

            I nodded slowly, trying to keep the frown from my face as I pushed open the door to my room and entered, closing it behind me as Kieron walked away.

            We hadn’t had separate rooms since… well, for a long time. Since before the hotel, really, but I wasn’t sure if that counted or not. The rooms hadn’t been far apart, merely across a small hallway, and it had only been the two of us. Now I was used to sharing a room with him, and having him nearby at all times…

            But I couldn’t expect that to keep happening. It only happened before due to a lack of options. Aldis only had one spare room, and Kieron didn’t want to ‘pay’ for more at the hotel, which I completely understood though I was mad that he had to ‘pay’ like that _at all_.

            I couldn’t expect him to be near me all the time now. It was ridiculous.

            Sighing, I sat heavily on my bed before I lay back and closed my eyes.

 

 

“Terry!”

            I came awake with a gasp, flying into a sitting position. Hands wrapped around my wrists as I raised them, and a voice growled in my ear, hot breath racing across my skin, and I shivered as my gaze slowly focused. Chest heaving in ragged breaths, I finally managed to recognize the figure in front of me as Kieron, blue eyes dark as he frowned at me.

            “K-Kieron?” I stammered, staring at him. “W-What…?”

            “Are you okay?”

            “I… y-yeah, why? What are you doing here?” I asked, slowly coming back to myself, my heart starting to return to its normal pace.

            He stared at me for a moment. “You called for me – remember?”

            “What? No,” I said, shaking my head. “I was asleep.”

            “You called for me,” Kieron said, frowning.

            “How?”

            “I don’t know. I don’t actually remember coming in here… but you were freaking out about something,” he said. “A nightmare, again?”

            I shrugged. “I don’t remember…”

            “Terry.”

            “I don’t,” I said, shaking my head. “I really, really don’t. And… did I wake you?”

            He shook his head. “I didn’t sleep,” he said.

            “Oh?”

            “I… why did you call me here, human?”

            “I don’t know! I didn’t even know I did!” I said, sighing. “I mean… I was asleep, Kieron. You know that – you woke me up!”

            “I heard you,” he said, frowning again. “You called for me.”

            “I must have been talking in my sleep, then. You have some perfect hearing, then.”

            He shook his head, looking puzzled, before he got to his feet. “Get back to sleep, human.”

            “Kie – wait,” I said, watching as he approached the door. He turned back to face me.

            “Hmm?”

            “You… you don’t have to go,” I said softly. “I mean… if… I mean, you’re already here. You might as well… get comfortable. If you want.”

            “Oh?”

            “Yeah. Three rooms away is a long walk and you weren’t sleeping. I guess I need to keep an eye on you,” I said, smiling somewhat.

            He snorted and shook his head, before he stepped back toward the bed.


	55. Sent Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leaving isn't your choice, but Kleo will always be stronger than you.

Chapter Fifty-Five: Sent Away

 

 

 

For a long time, we heard nothing. After being there for nearly two days, I was more than little anxious. I’d only been allowed to leave my room to go to the bathroom. People were positioned at the end of the hallway. They brought me food twice a day. As time passed I was feeling more and more like a prisoner. It would be better if I at least had Kieron there with me, but I didn’t.

            He’d disappeared early this morning. ‘Summoned’, he said. I wasn’t sure what that meant but my skin never itched or burned so I knew he was okay, at least. I didn’t like not knowing where he was, though, or what was going on. I didn’t like being stuck in this room.

            I knew I shouldn’t have been worrying like I was. We had been separated longer than this before, right? It wasn’t like we could always be together, but I really did feel better when he was near. I wasn’t sure if it was just this whole ‘bonding’ thing that made me feel more… _complete_ with him near or what, but I couldn’t help it.

            What was taking so long? What were they even doing? We came here for answers – right? So far we weren’t getting any… at least, I wasn’t. If Kieron knew anything, he hadn’t told me… I hadn’t even seen him all day.

            Sighing, I scrubbed a hand across my face, sitting heavily on my bed. Kieron had stayed here thus far, which I was grateful for. If it bothered him that he slept here, he didn’t show it. In fact he seemed peaceful when he slept, either because he was simply that exhausted or because he liked my presence being near him, I didn’t know. Probably not the latter, but still, it was nice to think.

            I was so confused about why we were here. Kieron seemed to think it was important and I trusted him, but I still didn’t understand. I wasn’t entirely sure what a Reading was, or why it had to happen. Glancing down at my wrists, I wondered if I would need to change my bandages soon. Kieron didn’t seem worried about it but then again, he healed a lot faster than me.

            Sighing, I looked up at the ceiling. I’d memorized practically every detail of this room, having nothing else to do while I waited for the blue-haired immortal to return, but it had been hours now. He still wasn’t back and I wasn’t _worried_ exactly, but I was a little nervous. What could they possibly be discussing? He hadn’t said anything to me about it.

            I tried not to think about it much, honestly. Everything happened so fast. In the span of a few months, I went from being a normal guy to being part of some prophecy, tied to an immortal who previously wanted nothing to do with me. Now I wasn’t so sure. He tolerated me, at the very least. I used to be normal – so very normal – and yet now… everything was different. I wasn’t sure if John would ever accept my last disappearance, but I was still pissed at him for that whole sex slave thing. It wasn’t even that he used me like that – it was the fact that, when I told him he had to let me go, that I had to leave, he didn’t _believe_ me. He stuffed that gag back in and left like I was _nothing_ , and I might eventually forgive him… but I wouldn’t forget.

            That was also assuming he even forgave me to disappearing yet _again_. Rufus might never want to see me again. My own brother might be too furious to accept any excuses I might be able to make. That was also assuming I lived to see them again.

            My breath caught momentarily. I hadn’t thought of my own death in a few days now. When I was with Kieron, it didn’t seem possible. I knew he would keep me safe, despite how much I hated seeing him hurt. I knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to me, and I felt safe with him. In the past few days I hadn’t really thought about how I might not making it back home to see my friends again. I didn’t think about never stepping foot into my apartment again. Although, by this point, I was sure it was a lost cause – all of my things had probably already been booted to the curb by now.

            I looked at the ground and tried not to think about it, but it was hard now that it was on my mind again. I wasn’t sure what we were doing here, but there was this pit in my stomach that wouldn’t go away. I’d tried discussing it with Kieron but he kept assuring me I was okay. I knew I was okay – for now. But he came here for a reason, and I knew things would soon change – for the better, or for the worse.

            Either way, something was going to happen.

            There was a faint knock at the door before it pushed open. I got to my feet as Kieron entered the room and quietly closed the door behind him. He was dressed in a large gray shirt a few sizes too big for him, but he wore it well. The brown pants fit him nicely, though I couldn’t bring myself to call them jeans. They were made out of a type of fabric I only ever noticed in Ethereal.

            Despite how comfortable his attire appeared, his face told a different story.

            “What’s wrong?” I asked, stepping toward him.

            He shook his head slowly and glanced at me, blue eyes dark. “Kleo’s on her way,” he said quietly. “She’ll take you to Ashere.”

            “Ashere? Take me? Huh?” I asked, frowning, because I didn’t understand. “Are we leaving? Is Ashere okay?”

            I hadn’t actually thought about him very much. I felt mildly guilty about my lack of concern for him, but honestly, he’d been rubbing me the wrong way for a while now. He disappeared in Kieron’s time of need, when we were trapped in that building with the ‘Master’ and those screamers, and I hadn’t seen him since.

            “Ashere is fine,” Kieron said.

            “Okay. When are we leaving?”

            A breath. “Not _we_ ,” he said. “Just you.”

            “Just me? Why?”

            “Kleo is going to take you to Ashere, and he is going to escort you back to your apartment,” Kieron said calmly. My skin itched but I wasn’t entirely sure why.

            I shook my head. “Aren’t you coming with me? And why there?”

            “It is safer for you to be far away from here.”

            “What about you?”

            He shook his head slowly. “My place is here,” he said, watching me. “It is my job.”

            “Fuck that,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him. “That’s crap and you know it. I’m not leaving without you.”

            “You don’t have a choice, human.”

            “Like hell I don’t! I’m not leaving you here!” I said, glaring at him.

            He narrowed his eyes at me.

            “Why is this happening?” I asked. “Why is she coming to get me? What’s going on, Kieron?”

            For a moment, he watched me in silence. I stared back at him, silently wishing he’d tell me so I’d _understand_ , but I wasn’t going to leave. I left before – left him alone to face off against several screamers who potentially could have had that _knife_ , and I wouldn’t do it again.

            “Things have gotten complicated.”

            “They’re _always_ complicated. Why are you telling me to leave?”

            “Your place isn’t here,” he said. “Your place is home.”

            “Fuck that. My place is with you.”

            “No,” he said quietly, with that tired little smile, “it’s really not.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “We don’t have time to discuss this, Terry. Kleo will be here any time.”

            I blinked at the use of my name, frowning. “Why? Tell me why you’re trying to get rid of me.”

            “Damn it, human, I’m not trying to get rid of you – this is my job!”

            “What is?” I asked. “Huh? Because you still haven’t told me what’s going on!”

            He scrubbed a hand across his face and nodded slowly. I swallowed and grabbed his arm, slowly leading him toward the bed. He took in a breath and started talking.

            “They’ve decided to believe us,” he said. “The Reading worked. They believe us and they’re on our side, but screamers are coming in waves. They know you’re here, Terry. They’re after you, and the Elders have agreed that your safety is imperative. Therefore, Kleo is coming to take you away from here, secretly of course, and-”

            “Wait, wait, wait,” I said, shaking my head. “What do you mean secretly? And what do you mean, screamers are coming? Here? I thought they couldn’t!”

            He said it was safe here.

            “They can,” he said quietly. “But normally they wouldn’t. It’s suicidal. But it’s too late for us to call in back-up, so to speak, and they are coming fast. You are the top priority.”

            “Oh? And what about you?”

            He shrugged and looked at the ground. “My place is here.”

            “You’re going to fight,” I murmured, watching him.

            “It’s my job, yeah.”

            “You’re going to fight against… how many screamers?”

            “I don’t know. Dozens. More. I don’t know.”

            I took in a slow breath, sitting heavily on my bed. Kieron stood in front of me, facing me but his gaze was glued to the ground. I grabbed his wrist and jerked him forward, not releasing my hold until he sat next to me on the bed.

            “I’m not going anywhere,” I said when he finally glanced at me. “I left you before. I know I’m human and I’m weak and whatever, but… I don’t want to be put away somewhere _safe_ all the time. I want…” I chewed on my lower lip, because suddenly I wasn’t sure what I wanted. It wasn’t exactly something I could place. “I want… to stay by your side. I mean… we share a bond, right? You…” I took a slow breath. “You feel it too, right?”

            _It’s not just me?_

            For a long moment, Kieron watched me. I averted my gaze to the round, hands in my lap. I startled when fingers curled around the back of my neck, tangling in the strands of hair there, pulling my head toward my right, where Kieron sat. I glanced over and instantly our mouths met in a heated kiss. My hands reached for him, snagging at his baggy clothes, tugging him closer, smoothing across warm skin.

            He pulled away too soon and offered a faint smile which I couldn’t help but return. His smiles were contagious that way.

            “What was that for?” I asked. “Not that I’m complaining.”

            He shook his head. “Just… thank you, human.”

            I must have looked as surprised as he did at those words. “Did you just… thank me?”

            “I think I did.”

            “W… Why?”

            He sighed and shook his head. “No one… has cared,” he said slowly, before he scowled and scrubbed a hand across his face. “I’m a perpetual. Indestructible, built to kill, all that jazz. And… no one _cares_. They do not, they cannot. But you… you do, somehow.”

            I frowned for a moment before a slow smile worked its way across my face. “I do care,” I said, nodding. “About you, Kie.”

            Another faint smile crossed his lips.

            “Now’s the part where you say ‘I care about you too’,” I told him.

            He shook his head and pushed off the bed without a word. A moment later the door opened and Kleo poked her head in, smiling at her brother while I frowned.

            “Kie, how are you?” she asked as she closed the door behind her.

            “I’m fine,” he said, before glancing at me. “Go with Kleo.”

            “No,” I said. “I’m not leaving you here.”

            I thought we discussed this already, but apparently not. I wasn’t leaving without him – not again.

            Kieron took in a breath and released it slowly. “You don’t have a choice, human. If you don’t go quietly, there are alternative ways.”

            The dark tone of his voice caught me off guard, and for a moment all I could do was stare at him. “I don’t want to go, Kie.”

            “We don’t always get what we want,” he said in return, before he glanced at his sister. “The sooner you leave, the better.”

            Kleo nodded and grabbed my arm. I attempted to shake her off but she had a hell of a grip. “It’s time to go, Terry.”

            “I’m not leaving!”

            “You know where the back door is, right?” Kieron asked.

            Kleo nodded. “I’ve been here before, Kie.”

            “Right. Higher up and all that stuff.” He shook his head. “Go, then.”

            “Kieron, I’m not-” I tried.

            “Let’s go, Terry.”

            Kleo pulled me toward the door despite my efforts at resisting her. She was a lot stronger than she looked. I shot a glance at Kieron as Kleo threw the door open.

            “Kieron, please,” I said quietly. “Don’t make me go.”

            I didn’t want to leave him, damn it. That knot in my stomach tightened, weighing me down, and I fought down the panic threatening to rise. None of this was right – why was he forcing me to go?

            It felt oddly reminiscent of before, at Aldis’ house, when Kieron told us to leave while he faced off against screamers on his own. I let it happen that time – I wouldn’t let it happen again.

            “Go with Kleo,” Kieron said.

            “Come with me,” I said, watching him.

            He released a slow breath and shook his head, before offering me a faint, tired smile. “Can’t do that, Terry.”

            “Stay safe,” Kleo said.

            “Try to,” Kieron replied.

            Kleo tugged me out the door despite how I tried to cling to the doorframe.

            “Kieron! Come with me!”

            The door closed in my face as my fingers were ripped away from the frame. A blindfold was placed over my eyes and when I tried to take it off, my hands were slapped for their efforts.

            By the time the blindfold was removed, I was in an unfamiliar place surrounded by trees and fresh air, and the place Kieron was in was nowhere in sight.


	56. Communication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Kieron discover a new way to communicate, and it's time for Plan B.

Chapter Fifty-Six: Communication

 

            My apartment stared back at me from where I stood on the sidewalk, eyes focused on the door which led to my old, normal life. I was happy with it, before. Satisfied, _safe_. All I had to worry about was ‘surprise sex’. I didn’t fear for my life all the time. I didn’t have itchy, burning skin (unless I stepped in Poison Ivy), and I didn’t feel this breathless simply because _one person_ wasn’t with me.

            It was ridiculous. This whole thing was ridiculous and crazy but there was nothing I could do to stop it. Kleo stood behind me, always watching me. A few hours ago we left Kieron, despite my efforts at resisting. Twenty minutes ago we arrived here, at my apartment, and I felt like a stranger returning to my old life. I knew it hadn’t been that long ago I was happy to be back here, with Kieron in tow.

            That was then, though. This was now, and everything was different. Kieron wasn’t with me, and my skin itched. It wasn’t burning yet, but I knew that would come. He was in danger. I knew this. There was nothing I could do about it because I was sent off like some artifact that needed guarding. My opinion didn’t matter.

            Ashere stepped out of my apartment and gestured for me to enter. He’d gone in to make sure it was safe, aside from the angry notes attached to my door. John was pissed I was gone, apparently. At least the police weren’t involved again. According to the notes, John just thought I was avoiding him because of our deal. It wasn’t like that at all, though. Yes, I was angry with him. I expected better from _him_. What he did was something I would have expected from _Rufus_ , but not him. He was supposed to be my best friend, and yet he didn’t believe me.

            I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hurt by this.

            As it was, though, I stepped through the threshold into what used to be my life, and felt disdain at everything I looked at. Someone had cleaned up the blood stains from when Kieron and I were captured. My apartment was _clean_ , too clean. I wasn’t sure who cleaned it or why I was angry with them, but I was. How dare they enter my apartment and cover up what happened?

            Then again, it wasn’t like anyone would be able to help me anyway. If John or Tommy saw it, they wouldn’t know what to do. They’d try to find me, try to figure out whose blood it was and what happened, but in the end they would fail because I wasn’t on Earth – not really. I was on Atlantis, and the situation was so much more complicated than they would ever know.

            I used to love my apartment – my own slice of life. Now I looked around and felt alone even though Ashere and Kleo stood next to me. I heard Blaine was on her way, and I wasn’t looking forward to her presence. Someone else was also coming, though I didn’t know who. Why were so many here? Why was I so damn important that I had to be shipped off and put under constant surveillance?

            The screamers wanted me _alive_. They wouldn’t hurt me. At least, not anymore, according to the Master. They needed me alive. They needed me compliant. They wouldn’t get that if they hurt me.

            But they wanted me alive, and they wanted Kieron _dead_. _He_ should have been the one under surveillance, not _me_.

            “I have stocked your refrigerator,” Ashere said, and I gave into a small nod.

            “Okay.”

            I wasn’t hungry. I doubted I would be, with the way my skin was itching.

            _How’s Kieron?_ I wanted to ask. _Is he okay? What’s going on?_

            I knew I wouldn’t get an answer, though. I’d asked on the way here, over and over. Demanded to be taken back.

            It didn’t work then and I knew it wouldn’t work now.

            That didn’t mean I had to like it.

            “You should be safe,” Kleo said, as though that was what I wanted to hear. I simply shook my head and walked toward the hallway, and toward my room. If they were going to stay here, that was fine. But I didn’t want to be near them right now.

            I slammed my door shut and collapsed onto my bed, staring up at the ceiling.

            I felt like a kid, arguing and behaving like this, but I couldn’t help it. That itchy feeling was getting to me, and I knew it would only get worse as time went on. Soon I would feel pain because I knew Kieron would inevitably get hurt. He was _used_ to pain, after all. It would happen and, as usual, there was nothing I could do about it. I wasn’t even in Ethereal anymore.

            I was stuck somewhere _safe_ , with bodyguards.

            Meanwhile, my…

            What?

            Friend?

            No.

            _Kieron_ was stuck in a fight and I wasn’t there to help him. I knew I would be useless in a fight, because I was a human. That had been drilled home many times. I knew I was weak, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want to help. I’d rather be there and attempt to fight and take the chance of getting hurt, where I could keep an eye on him, than be here simply waiting for the burning to start.

            And, speak of the devil, there it was.

            My skin ignited. One minute it was fine, the next it was ablaze and I barely suppressed a whine as I rubbed my hands up and down my arms. Everything itched and burned, like my skin was literally crawling, and there was nothing I could do about it.

            _Dammit, you better be okay, you stupid idiot! You better make this stop because I am not going to sit here and take this for however long this lasts!_

            I knew there was nothing I could do about it, though. I couldn’t even really blame Kieron, either. He wanted me away from the battle. I couldn’t really fight. It made sense, but that didn’t mean I had to like it. I hated it.

            Why did I have to be so _useless_?

            _Why me?_

            I kept coming back to that. No matter what I thought about or how I went about thinking about it, I kept coming back to _why me_ …

            Why me, out of everyone? All the possibilities? If someone was destined to go to Ethereal and bond with a perpetual, if it was _predetermined_ , then why _me_?

            I wasn’t smart. I wasn’t strong. I wasn’t even _good_.

            At best I was mediocre at everything. I couldn’t get along with my father, I disobeyed my mom before she died, I rarely spoke to Tommy…

            I failed at being a son, at being a brother and at being a friend.

            I was also jobless now. Soon I would be homeless because I couldn’t pay the rent without a job. I was a little surprised I still had an apartment to come back to, but suspected whoever cleaned up the living room took care of that. Probably Ashere, though I wasn’t sure why.

            The point was, I was a horrible human being. If someone had to be destined for something like this, why _me_?

            With a groan I sat up and scrubbed a hand over my face. My head gave a dull stab and I closed my eyes, grimacing. Phantom pain echoed through my side, my skin hot and tender to the touch as I rubbed a hand along the phantom injury. The burning increased and adrenaline spiked through me, quickening my breathing and heart rate even though I was just sitting there, doing nothing.

            I had to do something.

            I jumped to my feet and paced, hoping the adrenaline would dissipate if I actually moved around a bit. It didn’t. I still felt breathless and anxious, and I knew it wasn’t anything physical.

            This bond was annoying and terrifying. I could only imagine what it would be like if Kieron was kil-

            _No._

            I shut that thought down quick because there was no way I was going to let that happen. I wasn’t going to let him _die_.

            He was a perpetual – he wasn’t supposed to be able to die! He shouldn’t have to worry about death!

            I took in a breath which was meant to be steadying but was anything but.

            What did they expect me to do here? Rest? Because there was no way I could sleep or even begin to relax, not with the way my skin itched and burned and phantom pain echoed through me.

            A sudden, sharp pain in my left leg had me staggering and catching myself on the wall, a gasp escaping my lips. I clutched at my leg even though I knew there was nothing wrong with it, because the pain wasn’t mine. It was Kieron’s. He was hurt, and in danger, and there was absolutely _nothing I could do_.

            A few minutes later, though, the pain died down, as did the burning. I still itched but it was nothing like before, and I felt like I could breathe.

            At least for now.

 

 

I was in the shower when it happened.

            One minute I was fine. I smoothed the shampoo through my hair and ducked back under the spray of water, quietly humming to myself in an effort to ignore the itching. From there I scrubbed down my body as though I could wipe away that feeling, and stood under the water again to rinse off.

            The next minute, everything exploded into chaos.

            A sharp pain stabbed through my head, and I hit my knees in the shower, water blinding me momentarily. I spluttered and coughed out the water which managed to enter my mouth and struggled to think through the haze of _wrong_ which stabbed through me.

            My breath caught in my throat, the pain searing and _please stop go away don’t_ -

            The next second, there was _peace_. Everything cooled down, ice over scorched skin, rain water over burns, and I could breathe again.

            It took me a moment to realize how _full_ I felt.

            No. That wasn’t the right word.

            I felt… complete, actually. Like a jigsaw puzzle which finally had the missing piece filled in, and now it was a whole picture. I’d never felt so _alive_ , so warm and safe and at peace and-

            **_Human_** _._

I blinked, eyes flying open wide as I spluttered out a gasp, because I knew that voice. I was very familiar with that voice, I just wasn’t used to having it _in my head_ …

            _K-Kieron?_

            **_Yes._**

_H-How? What?_

_**I don’t have much time.**_

A sense of urgency rushed through my head. A light somewhere in the darkness of my mind, calling to me. My thoughts ran toward that light, and it was all I could do to keep from smiling, because it was-

            _Completefulltogetheralwayscompletefulltogetheralways_ …

            Over and over.

            Warmth bubbled through me.

            _Kieron, are you okay?_ I managed to ask, still in awe that I was even having a conversation _in my mind, between two worlds_. This wasn’t possible and yet it was happening, and I couldn’t question it because it felt so _right_. Like all my life I’d been waiting for _this_ and that sounded corny as hell but it was how I felt, and I couldn’t stop it. I felt giddy and high as hell, warmth shooting through me, bubbling up in my chest.

            **_I’m okay for now. Sorry I had to contact you this way… I wasn’t even sure I could. Just took a chance._**

            Something floated through my mind. A thought. Emotion. Something. It was gone too quickly to decipher, leaving Kieron’s words echoing in its wake.

            _Well, it did. How is this even possible?_

            **_It’s been known to happen between bond mates from time. If it’s strong._**

**** _So ours is strong?_

_**In a way, I guess. It’s kind of unheard of, for us, but that’s not what’s important right now. Listen, I have an idea about how to keep you safe.**_

Irritation echoed through me.

            _I don’t need to be kept safe! Jesus! You fucking sent me away AGAIN and I am so sick of this! I know I’m a weak, pathetic human and it must suck to be tied to me, but we’re in this together, dammit! You’re in more danger than I am! They want you dead and they want me alive and-_

_**Are you done yet?**_

            Something like smugness brushed against my thoughts.

            I narrowed my eyes. I’d glare at him if he was here.

            _You know I’m right, Kieron._

_**Human, now is not the time for this. Tell Ashere we need a new plan and to meet me at the appropriate location.**_

_Wait, what? New plan? Location? What the hell are you talking about?_ I asked, because I had no idea what he was talking about. He was confusing the hell out of me. All I wanted were answers, and reassurance that he was okay.

            Wait. He was okay. He was talking to me just fine, and that itching and burning from earlier had stopped, finally. I wasn’t sure how he did it, but it worked and I was thankful, and he was okay.

            The tension which had knotted my shoulders for the better part of the day finally dispersed, my shoulders relaxing.

            **_Plan B. He’ll know what I mean._** A pause. **_Human…_**

**** _Huh? What?_

I wasn’t sure I liked that tone.

            That resigned tone.

            _Kieron, you’re okay, right?_

            The tension returned.

            **_I’m fine. Healing just fine._**

I nodded even though I knew he couldn’t see it, releasing a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

            _Okay, that’s good. Now what were you going to say?_

 _**I…**_ Another pause. **_I’m sorry for how I treated you, in the beginning. It was wrong of me._**

I froze, breath catching in my throat at the random apology. I could understand why he hated me, in the beginning – I was an obnoxious human, after all, useless in a fight and he’d been tied to me against his will. I didn’t blame him for it. Things had definitely gotten better between us.

            **_I was a jerk to you, and for that I am sorry._**

All these apologies were making my head spin.

            _W-What are you saying? Why are you saying this?_

_**Just know that I am. And that you’ll be okay.**_

**** _Kieron, you’re scaring me. Are you really okay?_

_**Yes, human.**_

I swallowed, chewing on my lower lip, edging out of the shower where I snagged my towel from the wall and wrapped it around my waist.

            _So Plan B?_

_**Ashere will know what I mean.**_

**** _He knows where you’re talking about?_

**_He does._ **

**** _Okay… we’ll see you there, I guess._

_**No, human.**_

**** _Huh?_

_**Just Ashere. You need to stay where it’s safe. Do not come. I repeat – do not come. Do you hear me, Terry? Stay away.**_

A knot twisted in my stomach, leaving me nauseous. Not only did he sound completely serious, but he actually used my name.

            _Kieron, I’m coming._

_**I’m serious, Terry. Don’t come. You can’t. Stay where you are, stay away, and you’ll be fine.**_

_Dammit, Kieron! Stop doing this to me! Stop sending me away! I just want to help you!_

_**I know. And I appreciate it. I do. But some things you just can’t help with, and you need to accept that. Now, tell Ashere to initiate Plan B. And for Alpha’s sake,** stay the fuck away._

With that, everything stopped.

            The feeling of peace and completeness dispersed, and the burning, itching returned with a vengeance. I scrubbed my hands up and down my arms, growling to myself as I searched my mind for another presence. It felt so empty and big now, without Kieron’s presence. I wasn’t even sure how that _worked_ but it was how I felt, and I hated it.

            As soon as we got away from this, I was going to sit down and have a serious talk about what all this bond meant for us, because this was ridiculous.

            I found Ashere in the kitchen and told him to initiate Plan B.

            I didn’t expect for his expression to close down on me, guarded and angry and composed all in one. He gave a stiff nod, turned away from me, and started to walk away.

            Thankfully I changed into some clothes before I sought him out, because I figured he would try something like this.

            “I’m going with you,” I said, glaring at him, daring him to tell me otherwise. I knew Kieron wanted me to stay here but I couldn’t. I’d been a coward for far too long, and I was tired of hiding.

            Ashere stared at me for a long moment, before he gave a small smile and nodded. I wasn’t sure, but it looked like there might be _relief_ on his face as he ushered me toward the woods.

            Ten minutes later we were back in Ethereal.

            Thirty minutes later we were in a small clearing, and Kieron stepped out from behind some trees, instantly glaring when he saw me, even I as I stepped forward with a grin. He looked relatively okay, ignoring the bruise marring the side of his face and the cut above his brow. His clothes were clean so I knew he had changed recently, and they probably hid other injuries such as the one I’d felt earlier, in my leg.

            “I thought I said not to come,” Kieron growled, watching me.

            I shrugged. “I’ve stayed out of this enough as it is. If you have a Plan B, I think I should be allowed to know what it is.”

            “Get him out of here, Ash,” Kieron said.

            I spun toward Ashere to argue, but froze when I saw him shaking his head, looking at Kieron.

            “Sorry, Kie, but I agree with him.”

            I stared at Ashere. Why was he agreeing with me?

            Kieron growled below his breath, glaring at Ashere now. “Get him out of here.”

            “No,” Ashere said. “I think he deserves to know what your plan is. I mean, it does involve him, right?”

            “What’s this Plan B?” I asked.

            “It’s ridiculous, is what it is,” Ashere muttered.

            Kieron tossed him a sharp look. “I don’t see you coming up with any bright ideas! And you know it makes sense! That’s why you didn’t argue.”

            “I didn’t argue because you wouldn’t let me!”

            “Because you know I’m right!”

            “Fuck you!”

            “Back at you!”

            For a moment, the two glared at each other. A moment later, Ashere released a chuckle and Kieron ducked his head, hiding the beginnings of a grin. Ashere combed a hand through his disheveled silver hair and sighed before he turned to face me.

            “Kieron has an idea about how to lure the Master out.”

            My eyes widened. “Oh?”

            “Ashere, I mean it. Get Terry out of here.”

            “You know it’s better to use him, Kieron.”

            “Not, it’s-”

            “Guys,” I cut in, glaring at them for talking about me like I wasn’t standing right there. “Tell me what this plan is.”

            “Well,” Ashere said slowly, watching me, “how are you at being bait?”


	57. Ain't No Place for No Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plan B goes okay... until another trap is sprung.

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Ain’t No Place for No Hero

 

“This wasn’t the plan,” Kieron growled, glaring at Ashere, who stood next to me. Ashere tossed him a look before he looked at me, smiling faintly.

            “Ready for this?” he asked.

            It took a moment, but I managed a small nod. I wanted to be part of the action, and now I was. What was I going to do, complain? Say no? I had to do this. The alternative was worse.

            “Go home, human,” Kieron said, narrowing his eyes at me. A twitch of irritation snapped through my head and it took me a moment to realize it wasn’t my own, but through that forgotten link which connected us.

            I had so many questions about it – _what is it? Has it always been there? Can you hear all my thoughts? Why can’t I hear yours?_ – but knew it was best to wait before asking. The situation was rather tense, and Kieron kept glaring at me as though he were offended by my presence, but I had to do this.

            It was either me or him.

            The original plan, apparently, was that Kieron would lure the Master out. It would work because the Master definitely wanted to kill him. Kieron would spin a tale about how he would give himself in, but only directly to the Master. From there it would be up to Ashere to keep Kieron alive.

            _Fuck that plan._

            The new plan was to use me as bait instead of Kieron. At least the Master wanted me _alive_. I had much better odds of things going in my favor. Ashere was on board with this plan – in fact he was the one who suggested it. I wasn’t sure if I was relieved to have been brought into the plan to take Kieron’s place, or worried that Ashere saw no fault in handing me over to the Master.

            Figuratively speaking, of course. I would not be going anywhere with that guy. I was merely leading him out into the open, and he would do as I said because I was ‘handing myself over’, to ‘protect people’. I wanted to keep people safe but at the moment I was only protecting Kieron. If we destroyed the Master, I knew that, in the long run, many people would be saved. Especially if we got a hold of that knife and destroyed it so no more immortals would be killed.

            I knew I would breathe a lot easier once the threat of Kieron’s death no longer existed.

            “Terry, go home,” Kieron said again, this time his voice a little softer, more quiet and subdued.

            Not a statement, but a… plea?

            That made no sense.

            “Sorry, Kie,” I said, shaking my head. “But I’m not letting you be bait. It makes more sense this way and you know it. They want me alive, and they want you dead. I’m doing this, and you can’t stop me. You can’t make me leave.”

            His eyes flashed, and in the next instant I was on the ground, pinned beneath him as a growl escaped his lips. “I _can_ make you,” he said. “And you wouldn’t be able to stop me. But I’m asking you – _go home_.”

            I stared at him, at the seriousness in his voice, and slowly shook my head. “It makes more sense this way, Kie. I’m not letting you do this.”

            _You could die…_

            “There’s no guarantee it will work,” Kieron hissed, fingers digging into my shoulders, keeping me firmly pinned to the ground. “It’s a risk that you don’t need to be taking. Do you understand, human? This is ridiculous!”

            “It’s more ridiculous for you to do it! At least he wants me _alive_!”

            His eyes narrowed into angry slits.

            Things were getting out of control.

            I shoved against Kieron’s chest. “Get off,” I huffed, hammering my palms uselessly against him.

            His eyes narrowed further. “Terry – _go home_.”

            This gave me pause – the use of my name. It always did, coming from him. He so seldom used it that when he did, it left me half breathless with anticipation.

            I knew he wanted me to leave. He wanted me to go home so he could be the bait instead. Except, that wasn’t going to happen because there was no way I was going to let him do this. It made so much more sense to use me as bait instead of him. I had a much higher chance of getting out alive. Plus Kieron would be watching my back and I could think of no one else I’d rather have ensuring my well-being.

            “You know this is the better plan,” I finally said, watching as his jaw clenched. “Kieron… I’m not letting you risk yourself for me.”

            _Not again._

            I paused, taking in a slow breath, before I dove into the quick plunge.

            “I care about you too much to let anything happen to you.”

            For a moment, it was silent. Kieron’s eyes widened somewhat before hands clasped his shoulders and hauled him off of me. The blue-haired immortal shoved away from Ashere’s hands as I got to my feet.

            “Terry wants to do this,” Ashere said, watching Kieron. “I think we should let him. It makes sense.”

            “It’s ridiculous,” Kieron said, tossing a quick glare toward Ashere before his gaze snapped back toward me. “Go home. I mean it.”

            I shook my head. “I’m not going anywhere, Kieron. And that’s that.”

            Kieron growled lowly but finally gave into a stiff nod, and relief swept through me. A moment later, after it was clear Kieron wasn’t going to attack me, Ashere said he was going to check and make sure the coast was still clear, leaving the two of us alone.

            Silence wrapped around us for a long moment. Finally I sighed and shook my head.

            “I don’t want to fight with you,” I said quietly. “I don’t want to argue.”

            Kieron took in a breath and nodded.

            “But I can’t let you do this. Can you understand?”

            “I understand. Doesn’t mean I like it,” he muttered. “Nor do I know why you would _want_ to.”

            “Kieron… I care about you. You know that. I’ve told you. I can’t let you… I don’t want you to die. Okay? He wants you dead and… I won’t let you take that risk if there’s a chance I can lure him out just as well as you can. He wants me alive.”

            Blue eyes watched me closely. I didn’t realize I was walking toward him until we were mere inches apart. His hot breath rushed across my face.

            “Do you understand?” I asked.

            “I think I do.”

            I nodded, releasing a breath I hadn’t known I was holding. Silence wrapped around us again, and I knew Ashere would be back soon and things were going to get crazy. We might not make it out alive, and I wasn’t sure what to think about that. What to think about my own demise, and Kieron’s. What to think about the fact _I might not be here tomorrow_ …

            “Kieron… this once… just this once…” I took in a slow breath. “Just this once, could you… do you care about me, too? Could you say it?”

            I was pretty confident he _did_ care about me, but I wanted to hear him say it. He could go on and on about duty and his job all he wanted, but he came back for me more times than he should have, more times than was healthy, and I knew he cared, somewhere deep down. You didn’t go through things like that just because you thought you _had_ to.

            Kieron’s expression hardened and he turned away from me, spine rigid and shoulders tense. I stared at the back of his head, willing him to turn back around and talk to me, but somehow I felt like I had lost the chance to speak with him. I could only hope we’d make it through this to talk again, to do _anything_ again.

            For a long moment, we stayed that way, me silently willing him to turn around, and him standing there all tense and rigid, hands clenching and unclenching into fists at his sides. I dropped my gaze away, certain he wouldn’t respond. I shouldn’t have asked, because I knew he didn’t think he could care. That book agreed with him in that aspect. I no longer knew where the book was, had lost it in the chaos at Aldis’ house, and I doubted I’d ever find it again. Perhaps another copy, or a different book, something that said perpetuals _could_ care…

            Because I wanted him to care. I wanted him to care about me the way I cared about him. It wasn’t love, because I wasn’t sure I believed in that. To love someone unconditionally – it didn’t exist. There were always conditions. Even between family members – the condition is that _you’re family_. It’s an unspoken law that you love your family no matter what.

            So, no, it wasn’t love, but… it was _something_. A connection between us and I cared about him more than I ever thought I would… more than I cared about Rufus, and… maybe even John. John was my best friend, but when we were together, it never felt like this. He was just a friend and Kieron… he was something more.

            A friend…

            My protector…

            My bond-mate…

            My perpetual.

            This was what the screamers hinted at so long ago, before I wanted much to do with Kieron. They kept calling him _my perpetual_ , to which, at the time, I always disagreed. Now, though, it seemed like a pretty apt description.

            Silence wrapped around us, me lost in my thoughts and Kieron… lost in something. I couldn’t read the tension lines on his back and his thoughts weren’t rushing against mine. He’d never been an open book like I was. I never knew what he was thinking. Half the time it irritated the hell out of me, and the other half… the other half, I enjoyed the mystery.

            Finally, as I was about to apologize for asking, Kieron released a heavy sigh and turned back to face me. The hardness in his gaze was gone, instead replaced by something much softer, something I hadn’t seen on his face before. Something almost… _tender_.

            I stared at him as he drew in a breath, blue eyes forever watching me.

            “If we make it out of this alive,” he started slowly, voice quiet and subdued, “I’ll tell you anything you want, Terry.”

            For a moment, I was speechless.

            Did he really just…?

            And my name…?

            Then I released a shaky laugh and nodded, unable to fight the smile which spread across my face. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

            “I’m not arguing.”

            I laughed again and lunged at him, wrapping my arms around his middle as his own arms hung awkwardly at his sides and our lips met in a somewhat urgent, brutal kiss and I realized it had been a while since I’d kissed him. Since I’d been this close to him. I missed it.

            God, _I missed it_.

            Slowly, finally, his arms came around me as well, swallowing me in his warmth, and my fingers curled tightly into the fabric of his shirt. For a long moment, we stayed that way, holding onto each other, mouths met in an urgent embrace, before Kieron broke away and stepped back somewhat, holding me at arm’s length as my hands fell away from his shirt.

            A small, barely visible smile parted his lips.

            I smiled back. “I look forward to your declaration of you undying man-love for me,” I said.

            Kieron snorted and rolled his eyes. “I shall endeavor to do so.”

            I laughed because it was the first time he’d actually _teased back_. Then I sobered and swallowed thickly. “Be careful,” I murmured.

            His expression hardened somewhat and he nodded. “Back at you, human.”

            I nodded.

            A few minutes later, Ashere emerged from the trees, tossing a nod toward Kieron. Anxiety knotted in my stomach because I knew what that meant.

            It was show time.

            “Let’s go.”

 

 

_Oh God, what am I doing?_

            I stood stiffly in the small clearing which had been designated as the meeting place. I thought I might break my back with how tense my shoulders were and how rigid my spine was. We had no way of knowing this would even work, because from what I’d been told, there had been no direct contact with the Master, but rather one of those serving under him. For some reason it made me think of that demon, and a chill crawled up my spine.

            I fought the urge to look around for Kieron and Ashere. I knew they were somewhere, hidden away, waiting, but that didn’t mean I didn’t feel alone. I knew they were there but I didn’t know _where_ , and at the moment, it was dark and I could barely see a few feet in front of my face. It was oddly reminiscent of when I first came to Ethereal – how long ago? Months? Jesus… - and Kieron kept making us travel all night and sleep during the day. It took me forever to get my sleep schedule back on track. Honestly it was still out of whack.

            A chill crawled through my spine and my arms tingled, the prelude to an itch I couldn’t scratch. For a moment I thought Kieron might be in danger, but then I saw the dark figure walking toward me. I stiffened, fighting the urge to turn and run once that figure got closer and the hood disappeared from his head. Bright brown eyes watched me, familiar and not at all sinister looking, but that was why it was so terrifying.

            The Master never looked evil. He looked like an ally, but I knew he wasn’t. He was the one calling the shots. He was the one who ordered my capture and Kieron’s death.

            His red bangs blew softly in the wind. A smile split across his face as his eyes landed on me.

            “Hello, Terry,” he said in his deep, baritone voice, sending chills down my spine for all the wrong reasons.

            It would be better, I thought, if he actually sounded or seemed evil. But he seemed so _normal_ …

            And that, I concluded, was worse.

            “Hi,” I said weakly, forcing a smile onto my face. “Long time no see.”

            “I was pleased to hear you were turning yourself in,” the Master said with a quick smile, all teeth and full of potential bite. “You do not know how much trouble you saved me. At first I did not believe it, but here we are.”

            “Yeah,” I said quietly, nodding. “Here we are.”

            “Tell me, Terry – why turn yourself into me?”

            “I want… I want to end the fighting.” This was true. “I don’t want anyone else to die because of me.”

            All very true.

            But not the real reason.

            “Well, I accept your surrender,” the Master said calmly. “Please step forward.”

            I took in a slow breath and nodded, fighting the urge to look over my shoulder in the direction I was sure Kieron and Ashere were hiding, watching everything take place. I knew they wouldn’t let anything happen to me, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t nervous.

            I was wanted alive – they weren’t.

            That was a very distinctive difference.

            I stepped forward.

            Soon I was standing in front of the Master.

            “This is all very noble of you,” he said.

            I nodded, taking in a breath and releasing it slowly, trying to calm myself because I really _hated_ being this close to him.

            “However… I find I would be more likely to believe you if I did not smell your perpetual all over you.”

            I didn’t even have time to yelp as the Master’s hand reached out and caught me around the throat, squeezing off my air supply, lifting me off the ground. Gasping, I brought my hands up, clawing at the obstruction, but to no avail. He would always be so much stronger.

            “I’ll let you in on a little secret,” the Master said with a smirk, and for the first time, it looked sinister. He leaned in close to me, mouth pressed against my ear as I struggled for air. What he said next was only a whisper, for my ears only. “ _I know this is a trap_.”

            My eyes flew open wide as I stared at him, lungs screaming for air. Unable to draw in the breath, though, I couldn’t call out a warning. I couldn’t warn Kieron and Ashere that our trap was also a trap.

            _No. No, Kieron, it’s a trap! Run!_

            I didn’t know how the bond worked, though, and thus my thoughts only echoed through my head.

            “ _I know this is a trap… and just as you did not come alone, neither did I._ ”

            Then he leaned away somewhat, grinning as he raised his voice. “I suppose I will just have to kill you. You were never going to be mine, were you?”

            With that he squeezed tighter and I could not stop whine which managed to escape my lips, causing me to lose more precious air. My mind began to darken, thoughts swirling, leaving me frantic with the desire, the _need_ , to warn Kieron, to get him away…

            A growl from somewhere in the distance. A sound I recognized, knew was Kieron.

            The Master chuckled. “No one can ignore their bond-mate when they are in pain. Now that we have his location… _attack_!”

            Figures blurred past my dimming vision.

            The hand released me and I dropped to the ground on my back, unable to move or do anything as I lay there, coughing, gasping for breath, my head spinning. The Master knelt next to me as I slowly began to collect my thoughts and breathe properly.

            “I am sorry for hurting you, but it had to be done,” he said. He rolled me over onto my stomach, and I was far too drained and out of it to really stop him at the moment. I was still just trying to _breathe_.

            It was a lot harder than it should have been.

            In the next minute, my wrists were tied firmly behind my back and I felt the all-too-familiar panic swim through me as my mind finally rid itself of that haze and my lungs decided to finally work.

            A hand snagged the back of my shirt and hauled me to my feet, keeping me steady as I shot a gaze in the direction I assumed Kieron and Ashere were hiding in – the direction the growl came from.

            My skin burned. It was this sudden igniting of my arms and my breath caught in my throat, causing me to struggle to break free of the Master’s grip. Snarls emerged from the darkness. A battle raged on out of sight and all I could do was _wait_.

            I was sure it was over. We were all going to die. There would be no stopping until Kieron was dead and I wasn’t sure what a severed bond would do to me, but I knew I wouldn’t like it. Knew I didn’t want it to happen, would give anything if-

            Figures emerged through the darkness, near the other side of the clearing, at the base of the upward slope where Kieron and Ashere had been waiting. At first I wondered if it was the screamers, holding Kieron and Ashere captive, waiting to kill Kieron in front of me – _please no_ – but then I recognized some of the figures as the perpetuals which had sat around that table. The table where the Reading was done. Where Kieron and I had gone for help. Where Kieron _sent me away_ …

            I felt the Master stiffen behind me, a snarl catching in his throat, the first sign of a lack of calmness. Slowly, so slowly, I eased the blade out of the hidden area of my belt. Just a little strap of the leather carefully replaced with the same color blade, small and barely visible, but there. Carefully, I eased my fingers into a sawing motion, determined to get free this time. I would not continue to be that helpless human.

            “What are you doing here?” the Master spat.

            A perpetual stepped forward, eyes narrowed into angry slits. “You have tossed aside all of our values. All of our rules. In doing so, you have created something which cannot be stopped. Do you understand the severity of the situation?”

            Someone else stepped forward. It was too dark to see their face and their eyes weren’t as bright as the other’s so I couldn’t tell if they were narrowed or not. I assumed they were. “It has been foretold since long ago. That a human would emerge again who could see us, but he would be unlike any other. I know we were all skeptical that this would happen, but is has.”

            A third stepped forward. “So it has been written, so it shall be. This human was destined to be bound to one person and one person only. The perpetual who found him first, who saw him and unto him was seen as well. You are not that perpetual.”

            “Maybe not,” the Master agreed, voice calm again, almost smug in a way, “but I soon will be.”

            Something was tossed down the hill, rolling to an abrupt and rough halt between the two of us – the Master and I, and the perpetuals across the clearing.

            “Kieron!” I called when I noticed the blue hair and pale face. With a groan, Kieron made it to his knees, shaking his head slowly as if orientating himself. His head lifted and his gaze met mine for a moment.

            And then a screamer snarled as it lunged from the darkness, from the cover of the trees, and landed on top of Kieron’s back. Kieron released a cry and it was only when the screamer was tossed off and Kieron jumped to his feet and stepped away that I noticed the steam rising off him, half-hidden in the darkness, but nothing could hide the hilt of the blade sticking out of his back, nor could it hide the glint of gold protruding from the right side of his chest.


	58. In the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Losing him hurts. But you won't let the Master win. There's still one more thing you can do.

Chapter Fifty-Eight: In the End

 

            “ _Kieron!_ ” I cried, skin _ablaze_ and heart hammering in my chest, panic unfurling in my chest as I managed to finally cut through the ropes binding my hands and lunged forward, toward him, before anyone could react.

I made it to him as he crashed to his knees, the screamer standing off to the side, snarling and ready to attack again. I placed myself between it and Kieron.

“Get the fuck away,” I hissed. “Or you’ll have to go through me!”

“Do not waste time on the perpetual,” the Master said, and this time his tone was definitely smug. “Focus instead on the others. No one leaves here alive except the human.”

The screamer nodded. Others emerged from the trees. I blinked because I hadn’t realized _how many there were_. Well over three dozen, I knew that much. And how many perpetuals were there? A quick glance in their direction assured me there was less than two dozen.

In the next second, chaos exploded everywhere. Snarls and growls mixed and mingled from both parties, screamers and perpetuals doing the dance of battle, disappearing into the trees for leverage. Somewhere in the chaos, the Master disappeared. When I looked back toward him, he was gone.

_Fucking coward!_

He didn’t try to take me with him. He seemed to think everyone would be _dead_ by the time he returned, or that the screamers would deliver me to them. I figured it was the latter, but also part of the former.

He knew I wouldn’t leave Kieron.

But the sounds of battle disappeared when Kieron released a shaky breath and dropped forward, on his hands and knees, fingers digging into the dirt.

My mind flashed back toward so long ago, when he’d been stabbed through with a blade while saving me.

It was much like now, except this wasn’t a sword. It was a long blade, but not a sword, not that long. And it was _gold_.

The steam was nearly blinding. Yeah, that was why my eyes were burning.

“Kieron,” I breathed, facing him completely. “What do I do? What can I do?”

“You… did good,” he breathed back, arms shaking as he held himself up. Finally they slipped and gave way.

I caught him, arms wrapped around him as he fell forward, face on collision course with the ground. I rolled him onto his side, trying to be as gentle as possible, and allowed him to rest his head on the ground while I examined the wound.

It was all the way through. The hilt was jammed into the right side of his back while the tip of it emerged from the right side of his chest. Barely all the way through, but all the way through nonetheless.

The steam was blinding. My vision blurred.

“Kieron, what do I do?”

“You should... run…”

“No,” I growled, watching as his eyes blinked closed. “No, I’m not leaving. Tell me what to do. Tell me how to help. Kieron. Don’t you sleep!”

His eyes blinked open, slowly, but I could tell it was a struggle. “There’s… n-othing you can… do…”

My vision blurred even more, but this time I couldn’t blame it on the steam. “No, there’s… there’s gotta be. Tell me what to do!”

_Tell me how to save you._

Blood soaked his shirt but it was a surprisingly small amount for the wound. I knew it was only because of the knife still stuck inside of him. Poisoning him.

_Oh God._

I released a shaky breath when I realized I was going to have to pull it out. He said letting it bleed out helped him before. It could do so again. And I couldn’t just leave it in there to keep _hurting him_ …

“Kie… Kie, I’m gonna pull this out, okay? I… is that what I should do? Kieron?”

I lightly tapped his cheek and he blinked a few times, taking in a shaky breath. “S-ure... can’t… hurt…”

I nodded weakly and shifted so I was now behind him. With a breath I allowed him to roll over onto his stomach while I settled over him, hands wrapped around the hilt of the blade. I took in a few deep breaths, struggling to steady myself, before I pulled as hard as I could. The blade shifted upward but barely budged, and Kieron released a gasp of pain.

“I know, I’m sorry,” I whispered quietly, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, just bear with me, Kieron. You’re doing great. Stay with me.”

I took in a deep breath and pulled again, tugging at the blade, silently willing it out. It shifted a little more and I stopped when Kieron groaned, breaths heavier than before.

“Kie? Kie, this is the right thing to do, right?”

Was I hurting him for no reason?

_I don’t want to hurt you…_

He didn’t say anything and I bit down on my lower lip, swallowing thickly before I started pulling again. This time I forced myself to ignore his sounds of pain – _please don’t be in pain, please be the right thing to do_ – and continued pulling, because it needed to come out, fast. Like a Band-Aid. Rip it off all at once.

Finally – Thank God, _finally_ – it slid free and I tossed it aside, quickly scrambling backward. I grabbed Kieron’s shoulder and rolled him as gently as I could, so he was resting on his back. I thought it might be easier to breathe this way, than breathing in particles of dirt.

“Kieron? Are you with me?”

“Tired…”

“I know you are,” I said quietly, remembering that tone from when we were held captive by the Master. “I know you’re tired but… Kieron, don’t sleep. You gotta stay with me, okay? Kie?”

“Try…”

“Okay. Yeah, you try. You try your hardest, okay? Because… Kieron, I won’t let you die. You’re not dying.”

_Don’t die. No._

My skin itched and burned, my nerves ablaze, but I could barely feel it due to the way his breaths were beginning to taper off, the way I leaned forward, struggling to help in any possible way I could. The breaths also rattled as they came out, and I wondered if that blade had punctured his lung.

Blood began to bubble in his mouth, staining his teeth and lips, and I knew the blade had gone and done exactly that.

I pulled him toward me, his head resting in my lap, at a bit of an angle in order to help him breathe. At least I thought it would help. I hoped it would.

It had to.

“Stay with me,” I breathed shakily, watching his eyelids flicker open and closed. His eyes were already so dark and glazed, and blood pooled beneath him, staining my clothes and the ground but I didn’t care. I just hoped I did the right fucking thing because if I didn’t… “Don’t sleep, okay? Do you hear me, Kieron? _Don’t leave me_.”

I blinked because that wasn’t what I had been about to say. I’d been about to tell him not to sleep, again, but what came out was much closer to the truth.

_Please don’t leave me. Don’t do this. You’re okay._

Dammit… I did this so he _wouldn’t_ get hurt. I agreed to be bait so he would be _safe_. And yet…

He was dying. I knew he was. The bond screamed with it. Every fiber of my being cried out at the unfairness of it all, at his pain mingled with the pain beginning to form within me as well. Everything felt so fucking _wrong_ and all I could do was sit there in this daze because _this couldn’t be happening_ …

_Not fair._

_Not fucking fair._

This was what it came down to, in the end? This was how it ended? After all we’d been through… and this…? We tried so fucking hard and this…?

His eyes were closed. My heart lurched.

“Kieron, stay with me. C’mon – open your eyes. Kieron!”

“Jus’… gonna… take a q-quick…n-ap…”

“No – no, don’t you dare! Kieron!” I lightly slapped his pale cheek, wincing . “Kie, please, don’t – don’t do this, okay? Kieron?”

His eyes fluttered open, but only just. I was hunched over him, staring into those too-dark eyes, the color stolen from them to add to the dark red blood on the ground, the blood which should have been safely, _firmly_ locked in his veins.

Blood coated my hands.

_Blood – wet, sticky on my hands, red gloves I never wanted._

Images, flashes from my nightmares rushed through me, sending shivers coursing through me, a sob lodging in my throat.

_Pain. Burning. Igniting my skin, my nerves ablaze._

“Y’know…” he breathed, startling me out of my thoughts, the ghost of a smile sparking across his lips. “I a…always… w-anted… to d-ie…”

“Kieron, _no_ ,” I whispered, “no, no, don’t say that.”

“W-asn’t… f-air, y’know? E-Everyone… e-else… got to d-ie… but… not… not _m-me_ …”

The words were garbled and broken, blood momentarily choking him as his breaths rattled in his chest. Each breath shook his body, as if the effort to breathe was more than he had left to give.

“Kieron… _please_. Stop talking, just… save your strength.” It was cliché but I knew talking wasn’t helping him. _At all_.

“But now… I f-ind… I d…don’t _w-wanna_ d-die…”

“You’re not going to,” I said helplessly, feeling tears prick my eyes. I couldn’t blame it on the steam this time. “You’re not gonna die. Okay? I won’t fucking let you so just… just… _please_.”

I wasn’t sure what I was asking.

_Please stay with me._

_Please don’t sleep._

_Please stop talking._

_Please don’t die._

Any and all of the above.

Just _please_.

That ghost of a smile was back. “ ‘s … g-oin’…. d-ark…”

_No, stop slurring. Stop slurring, you’re okay._

“No – no, look at me,” I breathed, tapping his cheek again, leaving bloody fingerprints in my wake, “look at me, Kieron. _Look at me_ , you’re okay!”

_You’re okay, look at me, don’t do this, you bastard!_

“ ‘m… l-lookin’…” His eyes blinked slowly, the delay between blinks becoming longer and longer, and I knew I was losing him.

 _Losing him_.

“Kieron, I… I tried. I _tried_ …” I said shakily, my breaths growing ragged as my heart clenched painfully. “I _tried_ , Kie, please…”

“ ‘s… s’okay…”

“No, it’s _not._ Don’t do this to me, okay? You… Kie? Kie, no. No, hey, open your eyes,” I said quickly, tapping his cheek again, but the eyes – those blue eyes – remained closed. The shaky breaths were still rattling, though, and he made some kind of grunting noise which could have been from pain or an acknowledgement of my request. “Kieron, c’mon – fight. _Fight this_.”

_Fight this. Don’t quit._

“ ‘m g-onna… s’eep n-ow…”

“No! Don’t sleep! Stay with me, dammit!”

“Mmm…”

“Kieron!”

Urgency coursed through me, but there was nothing I could do. I pulled him more toward me, encasing him in my arms, struggling to ignore the fevered touch of his skin. He was warm, so he couldn’t die, right? Fear and panic clogged my throat and for a moment I simply breathed and stared down at him, unconsciously counting his breaths. The intervals between each were getting few and far between.

“You… you bastard,” I whispered shakily, lightly shaking him. “Do you hear me? Huh? You’re stronger than this! You’ve been through worse! You owe me a declaration! Kieron!”

He didn’t respond. He didn’t move. His eyelids didn’t twitch. The only sound I got in reply was the shakiness of his breaths as they stuttered and rattled. Something wound tighter and tighter within me, steel bands around my lungs, and I couldn’t fucking _breathe_ …

“Kieron?”

“Please, Kie, don’t… I… I’m _sorry_ …”

This time, complete and utter _silence_.

With a cry I stabbed my fingers into his neck, listening for the shaky breaths, but only silence echoed around us. In the distance, I was vaguely aware of the sounds of battle. Everything drowned out when I felt nothing thrum back against my fingers. I stabbed down harder, biting down _hard_ on my tongue, but still I felt _nothing_.

“ _Kieron,_ ” I choked breathlessly, pressing a hand to his bloody cheek, rolling his head toward me. “Kieron, hey – hey, don’t – you gotta – Kie – _open your eyes_!”

Silence. Still, quiet, _wrong_ …

“Don’t do this,” I rasped, “don’t you do this to me, you bastard! This is my fucking fault! _Kieron_!”

I gently lay him on the ground, hunching over him to begin CPR, anything to fucking _revive_ him. I tasted nothing but blood when I pressed my mouth to his, but I didn’t care. As I breathed for him, I realized his airway was completely blocked. His chest wouldn’t rise or fall.

I didn’t know what do. All I knew was CPR. I didn’t know what to do if… if it wouldn’t work.

_Why didn’t I become a fucking doctor. Why didn’t I listen in school. Fuck, dammit, Kieron, please…_

There had to be something I could do. I couldn’t just… do nothing. This was _Kieron._

Kieron, who protected me even when he claimed to hate me. Kieron, who always went back for me, despite the risk to his own safety. Kieron, who fucked me because it didn’t _not_ mean something. Kieron, who… was… not breathing… had no heartbeat… stabbed with gold blade… steam… all the way through…

“ _No,_ ” I growled, slamming the palm of my hand down on his chest. “No, dammit, don’t do this! I need you alive! I need you _with me_ , dammit, this was fucking _foretold_ so you can’t fucking _die_! Do you fucking _hear_ me? Kieron! _Breathe_ , dammit, just fucking… God dammit, just breathe. Be okay. I… Kie, _please_. Don’t… I… I _need you_ …”

This, I realized with abrupt clarity, was the truth. I would be dead if it wasn’t for him, a million times over. And now he was going to die on me? _Because_ of me?

It wasn’t fucking _fair_.

“Kieron…” My shoulders shook, a sob lodged in my throat. “ _Please_ … I can’t… I don’t know what to do. Please, you… You gotta wake up and be okay. You gotta _heal_. You… don’t you fucking _leave me_!”

Movement behind me caught my attention. I spun with a growl to find a screamer standing there, a smug smirk on its face. I no longer felt fear at the sight of them. Either because they were under orders not to kill me, or because I didn’t fucking care anymore, but either way, all I felt was _anger_.

_They did this._

I wasn’t entirely sure what happened next. The screamer stepped toward me and with a growl, I picked up the forgotten knife – _perpetual killing, **Kieron killing** knife_ – and lunged forward. Startled, the screamer faltered for a moment. In that moment I stabbed the blade firmly into its stomach, twisting it harshly, because it needed to feel _pain_. Pain for what it fucking did.

For what they _all_ did.

For _everything_.

With a snarl it staggered backward. I ripped the knife from its stomach and lunged again.

“You-” _Stab_ “-cost-” _Stab_ “-me-” _Stab_ “-everything-” _Stab_ “-you bastard!”

 _My home. My normal life. My friends. **Kieron**_ …

The screamer sneered, holding its arms to its middle and I noted with a dark satisfaction that its arms were stained with discolored blood.

_You took everything._

_…because of **me**_...

I did this.

This happened because of _me_. Because I was so fucking important that it warranted Kieron’s _death_. Because the Master wanted _me_ , alive.

A dark knot settled in my stomach. I cast a glance back at Kieron, still and silent on the ground, unmoving and pale. Breathless. _Dea_ -

I snapped my eyes closed and took in a slow breath.

_No more._

_No fucking more._

“It’s over,” I whispered, looking at the screamer. “I’m done. You took everything. And… and I’m _done_. This is all my fucking fault and you’re not winning!”

I never wanted to die. That was what started this whole thing. If I just laid down and died… if Kieron had killed me like he was supposed to when we first met… none of this would have happened.

Kieron would still be okay. He’d still be ali-

He’d be okay.

I’d be dead but he’d be okay. A lot of people would be okay. How many had already died because of _me_? How much did Kieron have to suffer because of _me_? Because I didn’t want to die?

I was selfish, I realized. So selfish.

_I’m sorry, Kieron. So sorry. All my fault…_

I looked the screamer in the eye, full of steely determination, because this was something I could control. Everything might be fucked up and wrong and everything might be gone, but this I could do. I stop the Master from winning. I could stop him from getting what he wanted.

It took me a while to figure it out, but I finally did. I knew what I had to do.

I was just sorry it took so long for me to realize it. I was sorry Kieron had to…

I was wanted alive. Well, I had something to say about that.

I closed my eyes and took in a slow breath.

Then, with difficulty, I plunged the knife into my chest.


	59. My Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Limbo is strange and confusing. But maybe there's still a chance...

Chapter Fifty-Nine: My Home

 

 

It was warm. Comfortable.

            Brisk, warm hair traveled through the sky. Leaves fell across the ground, the beginnings of fall. My favorite season. The sun shone high overhead and birds sang happily as they flew through the air, and there at my feet was the end of the dock. I sat down on the edge and let my bare feet dangle in the water, lightly kicking up little waves and splashes, ripples tearing across the smooth surface beneath the dock. Across the lake, larger waves formed and this disappeared just as quickly, white tips flashing due to the breeze.

            A smile slid across my face and I closed my eyes, breathing everything in. This was home. Warm, comfortable. _Mine_.

            A hand landed on my shoulder. Warm, heavy, _right_. I blinked my eyes open and looked into blue eyes, just as bright and warm as today, and I patted the spot next to me. Kieron sat in all his blue-haired glory and I fought the sudden urge to hug him. I knew he wouldn’t appreciate it.

            Kieron eyed me for a moment, before he sighed and looked out over the water. “Nice day,” he commented, and I nodded, smiling.

            “The best,” I agreed. “How was work?”

            “Fine. Tommy says hi.”

            I grinned at the thought of my brother. I was so happy he and Kieron were getting along because I’d honestly been worried about it. “That’s nice. How is he?”

            “He’s doing fine,” Kieron said with a sigh, shaking his head before he looked at me again. Silence wrapped around us for a moment and he looked away. I felt his gaze leave my face.

            A stab of cold hit the air, sudden and brief but chilling in its wake, and I shivered.

            _“Terry – don’t – come-…”_

            I blinked. “Did you hear that?”

            “No. Hear what?”

            I frowned. “Nothing. Never mind.”

            _Just the wind, playing tricks on me._

            But that voice sounded familiar.

            Silence surrounded us for another little while. Something hard pummeled into my chest, leaving me groaning and coughing all in one breath, as I shot a glance at Kieron to find him watching me oddly. “What was that?”

            “What was what?” he asked, frowning, but there was something in his eyes.

            “Did you smack me?”

            “No.”

            I sensed no lying in his gaze, nor did I feel it in the bond thrumming through us. It wasn’t the full bond like it had been before, wherein I felt complete and whole and warm, but it was a portion of it and it felt nice.

            _“-erry - up-…”_

            “Did you hear that just now?”

            Kieron shook his head, watching me. I chewed on my lower lip, shrugging.

            “Must be imagining things,” I murmured.

            “Terry.”

            I blinked at Kieron. “Yeah?”

            Kieron took in a slow breath before he shook his head. “You know this isn’t real, right?”

            “What do you mean?”

            “You’re… dreaming, so to speak. None of this is real.”

            “Of course it is,” I said, frowning at him, kicking at the water again with my feet, listening to the splash. “Are you feeling okay?”

            “Terry, I’ve never even met your brother. You’ve got this scripted conversation. I’m just a passenger in your dream,” he said slowly, as though I were a cornered animal that he had to calm down. I narrowed my eyes at him.

            “That makes no sense. Do you have a fever?” I moved to press my hand to his forehead but he caught my wrist and lowered it, watching me steadily.

            “Listen to me,” he said. “I know you’re hearing another voice. That’s reality. Probably Ashere, if I had to guess. He’s trying to help you.”

            “I don’t need help, and why would I hear Ashere?” I asked, scowling, because I didn’t even like the guy.

            “Because I told him to keep you alive if something happened to me.”

            My mind blanked.

            _Kieron, still and silent on the ground, unmoving, pale, breathless…_

_Dead._

_Kieron…_

            “No,” I breathed, a lump in my throat, choking off my breath. “You… you’re not dead! You’re right here! This is real!”

            Kieron’s expression softened further. “You’re in a limbo. You need to wake up.”

            “Limbo?”

            Then I remembered…

            _Pain, pain, pain as the knife pushed through my flesh, death by my own doing because Kieron was dead and it was the right thing to do and…_

            Pain stabbed harshly where the knife penetrated my skin. I brought my free hand up and pressed it against the throbbing pain, but there was no blood to be seen, no physical wound, just a phantom pain.

            “Are you hurt?” I asked numbly, because I got phantom pains when he was hurt.

            “Not here,” he said.

            “What does that mea-…”

_“Kieron, stay with me. C’mon – open your eyes. Kieron!”_

_“Jus’… gonna… take a q-quick…n-ap…”_

My eyes slammed closed against the burning sensation.

_“I a…always… w-anted… to d-ie…”_

_“ ‘s … g-oin’…. d-ark…”_

_“ **Look at me** , you’re okay!”_

A shaky, choked breath escaped me. The grip on my wrist loosened and began to release and my eyes snapped open. My vision blurred and my head spun, the pain in my chest growing, and I could barely _breathe_ …

Everything _hurt_.

“Don’t let go,” I managed to say, feeling dizzy with the air used to say it.

The world around me flickered. First it was this – warm, comfortable, _mine_ – then it was darkness, trees surrounding me, the night sky far above… then it was this again.

“You need to wake up,” he said quietly.

“No.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I…” It took a moment to orientate myself, but once I did, I felt a little better. At least I could breathe better now. The world stopped flickering. “I stabbed myself.”

His expression contorted. “Why?”

“B-Because… I had to.”

“Why?”

“I couldn’t let them win,” I said, the memories returning to me with full, startling clarity. Chills crawled through and my body trembled, either from the memories or the sudden coldness surrounding me. “I couldn’t… you… Kieron, you’re _dead_ …”

But he was so _alive_.

Eyes bright, not dark and glazed.

Face pale but not white and stained with his own blood from my hands.

No gaping hole in his back or chest.

No _steam_.

“You’re not,” Kieron said.

“W-What?”

“You’re in a limbo. You need to wake up.”

“But I… I stabbed myself. I’m dead. Like you.”

_With you?_

Why was he here if…?

“Why are you here?”

He cocked his head to the side in that way he did, a frown working its way onto his face. “I’m not really sure. I don’t even know _how_ I got here. Or why I’m in your head for that matter. In your _dream_. In your limbo. I don’t know. I don’t have answers, but you need to wake up. Ashere’s going to give up soon. He’s stubborn but not that stubborn. You’ve already been out a good twenty minutes.”

“Twenty…? What? You’re in my head?”

How was that possible?

“Can you read my thoughts?” I asked, because I didn’t feel complete or full like I did in the shower, when we were having that telepathic communication.

“No. You have full control here.”

“Full control?”

Kieron nodded. “This is your dream. What you want.”

“What I want?”

He took in a slow breath. “Apparently you want a happy ever after. You want me to like and work with your brother, so you can get a house near them and your new niece. You for some reason want to stay with me. I was bombarded with images and memories of how that conversation on the dock should go. You’re stuck in a loop. Wake up.”

“But I… Come with me,” I said quietly, grabbing his hand, the one which lightly rested on my wrist. I caught it between both hands and held tight to it, because the world around me was flickering again, and so was Kieron. One minute he was there, the next I could see through him, then he was solid again.

“Can’t.”

“Why not?”

“For one, this isn’t my mind, so to speak. This is all you. I’m just here for the ride. For another, I… I’m pretty sure I’m dead.”

“ _No_ ,” I growled, tightening my hold on him. “You… you’re right here! You’re okay?”

“This isn’t reality, Terry. Listen to the voice – listen to Ashere, follow it, and you’ll get out of here.”

“What if I don’t want to?” I snapped back. “I like it here.”

Here, I lived by my brother and family. Kieron was here. I had this lake to be near. I had a _life_ , one that didn’t consist of running.

One that didn’t consist of _Kieron being dead_.

I wanted to stay.

“You can’t stay here. You need to wake up.”

“I don’t want to.”

Kieron’s eyes narrowed into that familiar, frustrated glare. “This is death, do you hear me? And none of this is real. And it probably won’t stay this way.”

“What do you mean? Why not?”

“This is your limbo. It’s meant to be tempting. You want to stay so you can be close to your brother, right? Well, you can do that in reality. From what I’ve seen here, you two don’t hate each other. Move there. Have a life.”

“But I’ll be on the run.”

He sighed. “For a little while, but after what happened, you’ll be safe until everything is figured out, and you’ll be safer in a new town, with a few people watching you. And you can do that by moving closer to your brother.”

“You won’t be there.”

I was a little surprised I even said that.

Kieron’s eyes widened somewhat before they closed. I didn’t like them closed.

_“No, hey, open your eyes.”_

Finally, he opened them.

“That’s what you’re worried about?”

I nodded. “I… care about you. You… Kieron, I’m _sorry_.”

“Sorry?”

“I… you died because of _me_ …”

“Did you stab me?”

“What? _No_!”

“Then it’s not your fault.”

He made it so simple.

“Come with me,” I said.

“Can’t do that.”

“Why the hell _not_? Obviously you’re in limbo too! So just _wake up_.”

“Doesn’t work like that. I’m in _your_ limbo, and while I don’t know why, I know it’s not mine.”

“Then what would _yours_ be?”

Kieron paused. Hesitated. Frowned. Looked away.

Silence for a long moment.

Finally his shoulders drooped. “I don’t know. I didn’t have a limbo. Just… darkness.”

“Oh…” I whispered, not knowing what to say. I just tightened my grip on his hand.

“Perpetuals weren’t supposed to die. I guess we don’t get a limbo.”

“Maybe,” I said. “Or maybe you’re not dead. Maybe you just passed out to heal.”

“There’s not darkness when we heal, Terry.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, frowning.

His gaze slid back toward me. “There’s light. A fog. It’s usually bright. Or gray. Or _nothing_. Never _black_.”

More silence.

My heart clenched in my chest.

Cold stabbed around me. The world flickered. _Kieron_ flickered.

_“-damn – come – wake-…”_

Ashere, I realized. Now that I thought about it, I did recognize it as his voice. And it was getting so cold again. Colder by the second, but Kieron’s hand was warm between mine and I held onto that, focusing on that instead of the cold, instead of the pain echoing through me.

Instead of the feeling of phantom hands pummeling my chest. Instead of the feeling of an unknown mouth against mine.

“I’ll wake up,” I said quietly, “if you do too.”

“Terry, I-”

“I’ll wake up and yell at you and hit you and smack you to your heart’s content, but you need to wake up too. Follow my voice.”

“You’re not going to remember this when you wake up.”

“Why not?”

“Very few people do.”

“Well, maybe I’ll get lucky.”

“You? Lucky?”

“You pick _now_ to get a funny bone?”

“You pick _now_ to complain about it?”

I laughed, and it felt so incredibly _good_.

The world spun around me. Ashere’s voice got louder. Kieron’s got quieter.

“Listen to Ashere,” he said.

_“Dammit, I knew this would fucking… wake up! Hey, breathe!”_

“Come with me,” I said again, as Kieron began pulling away. “Wake up.”

“I’m not in limbo.”

“You could be. Just… Kieron, _please_.”

Kieron rolled his eyes, before he tossed me a faint smile. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Promise?”

“What are you, four?”

“Promise?”

A sigh. “Promise.”

I pulled him into a dying hug. He was no longer firm, warm and solid in my grasp, but this cold, ghostly wisp of air, slipping through the cracks and I was _losing him_ …

“You better wake up. You… You have a declaration to give me.”

He snorted.

And then he was gone.

One minute he was there, faintly, and the next he slipped away, and the world around me went dark. The lake disappeared, as did the sky, the sun, the birds, _everything_.

I want to say waking up was hard, but it was easy. So incredibly easy.

Leaving Kieron, however…

That was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do.

But it was okay, because he’d wake up too and it would be okay.

 

 

I came awake with a gasp, a choked cough of air, and Ashere’s mouth on mine. My eyes widened and he pulled away, shocked, blood on his lips, before he turned and shouted at someone. I couldn’t understand what was being said.

I didn’t know where I was, or what happened.

Why the fuck couldn’t I _breathe_ …

The world spun around me.

Then there was darkness.

 

 

The next time I woke, it wasn’t much better.

Pain stabbed through my chest. Hands poked and prodded me, hurting, ow, fuck, _stop_ …

A voice calling out to me. Familiar, but wrong. Why wrong?

Tried to think.

 

 

Woke again.

Saw blue eyes.

Red hair.

Not right.

 

 

_“You really shouldn’t have. We kill intruders.”_

 

 

_“Let’s just say if I kill you, other humans will come here **looking** for you and then we’d have to leave or kill mass amounts of people.”_

 

_“Go to hell.”_

_“Only if you’re going too.”_

_“Die!”_

_“Now, now.”_

_“And what the fuck is surprise sex?”_

 

_“You’re not supposed to see that.”_

_“See what? You asked me what color your hair was! It’s blue!”_

 

 

_“Yes - the bond. What about it? What is it? What’s it have to do with me, and, I guess, you?”_

 

 

_“A bond. Rubber band. Me. You. Screamers. You figure it out.”_

 

_“Has to hurt like hell. But you’re at the bottom of the line, aren’t you, Kieron? Built to handle pain.”_

_“Kie?”_

_“Fuck, stop calling me that.”_

_“Paying? With what? I didn’t know you even had money.”_

_“Money is human.”_

_“In Ethereal, you pay your debts in favors.”_

_“Favors?”_

_“Yes – favors. That is our currency. You want something done? Depends what it is, and the bigger it is, the higher the price. The bigger the favor. Do you understand?”_

_“You can feel it when I’m hurt?”_

_“Now’s the part where you say ‘I care about you too.”_

_“I look forward to your declaration of you undying man-love for me.”_

_“I don’t want anyone else to die because of me.”_

_“However… I find I would be more likely to believe you if I did not smell your perpetual all over you.”_

_“No one can ignore their bond-mate when they are in pain. Now that we have his location… **attack**!”_

_“Kieron, what do I do?”_

_“You should... run…”_

_“There’s… n-othing you can… do…”_

_“Don’t sleep, okay? Do you hear me, Kieron? **Don’t leave me**.”_

_“Kieron, stay with me. C’mon – open your eyes. Kieron!”_

_“Jus’… gonna… take a q-quick…n-ap…”_

_“No – no, don’t you dare! Kieron!”_

_“I a…always… w-anted… to d-ie…”_

 

_“ ‘m g-onna… s’eep n-ow…”_

_“No! Don’t sleep! Stay with me, dammit!”_

_“Mmm…”_

_“Kieron!”_

 

_“What do you mean?”_

_“You’re… dreaming, so to speak. None of this is real.”_

 

“Kieron,” I hissed as I came awake, eyes snapping open wide as I struggled to sit up. Hands grabbed my shoulders, held me down, and it took all I had not cry out because I _ached_ , everywhere, and they were _stopping me_ …

“Take it easy,” came a familiar voice. But wrong.

 _Ashere_ , my mind supplied.

“You almost died,” he continued. “How are you feeling? Pain?”

I tried to talk. Coughed instead.

I was leveraged up into a semi-sitting position long enough to accept a sip of water, before I was lowered back down by easy, gentle hands.

“Where’s Kieron?” I asked quietly, vision beginning to clear. Ashere hovered over me, eyes dark with… _something_.

Hesitation. Regret. All over his face.

“No,” I breathed, shaking my head. “How long have I been out?”

“A week,” Ashere said.

Everything stopped.

Slowed down.

Froze, broke.

My eyes slid closed.

 _Too late_.

I remembered something, on the edge of my mind… something about a dream, a _limbo_ … a promise with Kieron, and I failed. A week was far too late. Twenty minutes into my limbo and Kieron urged me to wake up. A week…

_Kieron, I’m sorry. God, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…_

“Are you okay? Pain?” Ashere asked.

I sighed. Didn’t answer.

“Terry, I need to know.”

“Can’t you tell.”

“No – I’m… I’m not bonded to you.”

“Kieron.”

“He… Yeah, he could tell.”

 _Could_.

Past tense.

I held my breath. Maybe if I did, when I breathed again, I would actually _wake up_ and it would all be a bad dream.

“Hey – hey, breathe!” Ashere said, and maybe I should have warned him because he started hitting my chest again.

“Owww,” I groaned, rolling onto my left side, curling into myself. “Don’t do that.”

“Then breathe,” Ashere said with a growl. “I need to know how you’re feeling. Do you know how hard it was to heal you? For you to heal? How lucky you are to even be _alive_?”

“Healed me before.”

It couldn’t be that hard.

“No – _Kieron_ healed you before,” Ashere snapped. “Bond-mates can do that! I’m not your bond-mate! All I could do was keep you from completely fucking bleeding out, and it took all I had to get you breathing again! So you need to tell me how you feel so I know what to do!”

Wow. So angry.

I blinked my eyes open. “I was talking to Kieron.”

“Huh?” he asked, frowning.

“I was dreaming. And you woke me up.”

“Well, _sorry_ , but he told me to keep you alive.”

“Yeah… he told me. Right before he told me to listen to you and wake up. Breathe and all that.”

_I shouldn’t have listened. I failed again._

I agreed to wake up so I could wake Kieron too. He said he’d try. He promised.

I failed.

A week was too fucking _late_ …

Ashere frowned. Paused. Then froze, mouth falling open.

“You… limbo?”

“Yeah, that’s what he said.”

“You met Kieron in your limbo?”

“Yeah. So?”

“And you remember?”

“Yeah?”

We were having this conversation, right? Kieron said it was rare, but it happened.

I was _lucky_ , I guess.

Except I didn’t feel lucky. I felt like I might have been better off if I didn’t remember, because then I wouldn’t have known about this second failure.

Of being too late to urge him to wake up too.

Ashere paused. “That explains it.”

“Explains what?”

“Kieron.”

“Huh?”

He was… not _here_ , right? Not… _breathing_? But the opposite of breathing. The opposite of alive.

“He’s… I don’t know. It’s weird.”

“Weird?” I struggled to sit up and this time, he let me. It hurt like hell and for a minute I couldn’t breathe right, but I managed to do so and he watched me until I nodded for him to continue.

“He healed.”

“He… He _what_?” I gasped, eyes widening. “He… he’s _alive_?”

Kieron was okay. He as alive. I didn’t fail.

I threw my feet over the side of the bed but Ashere put a hand on my shoulder, stopping me.

“I said he _healed_ , I didn’t say he was alive.”

“What…?”

_What does that mean?_

“His wound healed. But he’s not breathing. And he’s not awake, and he’s not showing any signs of waking. I don’t know what it means.”

“But he healed!”

So he should wake up, right?

“Like I said, it’s weird,” Ashere said quietly. “Arabeth is going to be by tomorrow, to do a Reading and see if he’ll… I guess _restart_.”

“Restart?”

“Reanimate, maybe? This is unprecedented, Terry.”

I took in a breath. Released it slowly. “I wanna see him.”

“Soon,” Ashere said. “Right now you need to rest. What else did you see in limbo?”

“Not much.”

I wasn’t going to tell him about the dream. About the lake, the birds, the warmth… Kieron…

“Why did you say it explained something?” I asked.

“Because Kieron should be dead.”

I closed my eyes. Swallowed.

“I’m just stating the facts,” Ashere said. “It was a fatal wound. For all intents and purposes, he should be dead. He should have died. But he didn’t… _we_ didn’t _…”_

“Huh?”

“The perpetuals. We didn’t cry in pain. Therefore there was no death.”

Everything slammed to a halt. My breath caught in my throat.

I remembered listening for Kieron’s breaths. I remembered stabbing for a pulse. The stillness, the silence, the _wrongness_ of it all.

But I didn’t remember hearing a scream of any kind, except from maybe myself, in anger or when I stabbed that blade into my chest.

But no perpetuals cried out. Therefore there was no death.

Kieron didn’t die.

Not completely, at least. Not to the point where he was _gone_ , but he wasn’t breathing and wasn’t waking up.

He healed.

But he wasn’t waking up.

“Take me to Kieron.”

“Soon.”

“No – now,” I said.

A pause.

“Okay,” Ashere breathed. I opened my eyes to find him scrubbing a hand across his face. He looked exhausted. Pale, tired, rings under his somewhat glazed eyes. “Okay, I’ll take you to him.”

 

 

“Leave us alone.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. He blinked back, but then sighed and nodded. He cast a glance toward the bed in the room, then quietly exited, shutting the door behind him. I watched the door for a minute, listening as his footsteps echoed away, and then turned to face the bed.

And there was Kieron, still as ever, no quiet breaths escaping him. He was still pale, but maybe not as much as before. Blood wasn’t smeared across his face anymore. He was clean. Good. Someone took care of him while I couldn’t.

A thrum of anger raged through me. I couldn’t stop it. That was my job – to clean him up. To take care of him.

We were bonded.

My job.

Primal need, primal instinct. _Mine_.

Swallowing down the growl which threatened to escape my lips – and feeling so confused as to why I was even mad – I sat next to him on the bed. He didn’t move, didn’t stir, eyelids didn’t twitch, but I didn’t expect him to do anything. That didn’t stop my disappointment, though.

“Hey,” I said quietly, watching him. “Sorry I took so long. But I’m here now. And I think you are too.”

I lifted a hand and brushed back those pesky bangs which never seemed to want to leave his face. Perhaps a haircut would be in order, but I shrugged the idea off because I liked this.

I liked brushing his bangs back. It was a closeness we shared. He let me do it. I knew now that he was aware of me doing it – not now, but before. Right now he wasn’t aware of much. But before, he knew. He let me. And I hadn’t noticed, not really. Not until now. It was all so clear.

Little, secret intimacies.

Unnoticed before, but I saw them now.

An understanding of Kieron I hadn’t previously seen.

Hadn’t known. Hadn’t felt.

“You healed,” I said. “That’s good. Now you just have to wake up.”

His skin was warm beneath me. Not cold. He wasn’t stiff but soft. Alive, then. Just not breathing, and not awake.

I pulled him toward me, pulled his head into my lap, much as it had been when he _stopped_ breathing. But I didn’t want to think about that. No.

Instead I wanted to think about him _alive_.

Bright eyes.

Half-hidden smile.

Usual scowl.

Irritated voice.

 _Alive_.

“You need to wake up now, okay? Because it’s been a while. I kept my part of the bargain, you know. I woke up. So now it’s your turn.”

He wasn’t wearing a shirt, I noticed as the covers fell away from him. The blood was cleaned away from his skin, but there was a scar. Still healing, it seemed. It was a dark red line on the right side of his chest, where the blade had poked through. I was sure there was a similar one on his back, probably bigger.

But it was healing. Wasn’t gaping, wasn’t bleeding.

Wasn’t _steaming_.

“Wake up, Kieron.” A breath. “I need you to wake up now. I know you’re in there somewhere.”

Something stirred in my mind. A light turning on in the darkness.

“C’mon – wake up.”

I lightly tapped his cheek with my fingers.

“I’d tickle you if I could, you know. Most people wake up if you do that. But I don’t know where you’re ticklish. We’ll have to fix that.”

My fingers slid up and tangle in his hair, lost in the soft blue strands.

“And you need to meet my brother. I want you two to get along. And you’re right, I do want to be closer to my brother and niece. But I want you to come with me. I want… I want a lot of things, Kie, but the highest on my list right now is for you to wake up, so you better get on that.”

“I’ll keep talking until you wake up. If you want me to ‘shut the fuck up’ and be quiet, you’re gonna have to tell me yourself. I have a lot to say.”

I took in a breath, made myself comfortable with my back against the headboard, Kieron settled in my lap, and began to talk.

“I never hated you, you know that?

“I didn’t like you at first, but I don’t think I could hate anyone.

“Except the Master. Pretty damn sure I hate him. I wouldn’t mind seeing him dead. With the murder weapon in my hand.

“Okay, that was dark. Light thoughts. Sorry.

“What you saw in my head was all true, you know. It was the perfect day, when it started. I was happy. You were there. I was with my family. But it wouldn’t be complete without you, you know?

“Somewhere along the line my dislike turned into something much more, something better. There’s not a word for it. I care about you but that’s not it. It’s not love. I can see you running to the hills if I ever said that to you, but it’s not love. Not sure I believe in that, you know?

“But it’s something. And I’m pretty sure you feel it too.

“Which brings me to that declaration I was promised. Still waiting on that. Don’t think you’re getting out of it.

“I like Ashere a little more now. I mean, I liked him at first – he was a lot nicer than you, sorry – but then I kinda hated him. Now I kind of like him again. But when you wake up, we’re not celebrating with him. ‘kay?

“You have a lot to explain to me about this bond. Because I’m feeling kind of possessive and that’s just not my style. I mean, I’m pissed that someone cleaned you off and it wasn’t me. We need to talk about this and see about fixing it, because that’s just crazy.

“We also need to talk about that telepathy. Have you always been able to do that? Can you always hear my thoughts? Because I’m pretty sure I’ve had some naughty thoughts about you. And, oh, God, _please_ tell me you didn’t hear what I was thinking while at John’s… Ack! Not thinking about it. Nope.

“When you wake up, I think we’ll celebrate with zhin. And sex. Because you owe me that declaration and it’s been a while. I’m only human, after all. Plus I want to.

“Did you just…? Hey, you’re breathing! Awesome! Okay, keep it up and you can soon tell me to shut up, and you can smack me all you want. Until them I’m going to talk about sex because that seems to work.

“So, sex. Lots and lots of it, when you wake up. Need to dirty you up so I clean you off. And there it goes again, that anger. I don’t like being possessive. You seem more the type than I do. Are you possessive? Because I could actually get behind that.

“Anyway, sex. Right. Need to stay on topic. The hot man-sex. Whereupon you declare your man-love for me. Loudly. Because you’re mine, and people need to know, and there I go again. Please, wake up and make this stop because I don’t like it.

“Achem, anywho. Where was I? Oh, yes, loudly.

“Ow. Okay. Ow, stop that, you’re giving me a headache.”

Something stirred further in my mind. Intrusive, angry. Knocking against my mind. I tried not to get excited about the presence. The familiar, irritated presence.

“Okay, okay! I’ll stop talking about sex.”

It stopped, died away, but the presence still lingered. I moved my hand from his head to his hand and threaded my fingers with his.

“But if you don’t wake up soon, as in a few minutes from now, I’m going to start talking about it again. And I’ll take aspirin and won’t stop just because you give me a headache.

“Alright, changing topic. When you wake up, I say we go visit my family. Take a break from Atlantis. Ow, sorry. _Ethereal_. Better? Alright then. We won’t tell Tommy that part, though. He’ll lock me up for being insane and then we can’t have hot man-sex. _Ow_! Sorry. Forgot.

“I was told your healing abilities upon my body were missed. And yes I did just say it like that and you can’t stop me because you won’t wake up. Which, by the way, _tick tock_. Clock is ticking before I start talking about you-know-what again.

“Why is it only you can heal me? The bond? See, I have so many questions about it still, and you need to wake up and answer them.

“Anyway, I – did… did you just squeeze my hand? Do it again. …no? Okay, must have imagined it. Of course I did. I can’t picture you squeezing my hand. And yes, we are holding hands. Why? Because you can’t stop me, that’s why. Bwahaha. And until you verbally – ow, yes, _verbally_ – tell me to stop, I am clinging to your hand.

“Now, back to that man-sex.

“ _Ow_. Why?

“It’s been a few minutes. Tick tock, time’s up, do not pass go and do not collect $200. Yes I just quoted Monopoly. Oh, God, you probably haven’t played that. Have you played any Earth games? Like… Like laser tag? Oh, God, first chance we get, that’s where we’re going. It’s awesome. And no cheating with your sneaky immortal abilities.

“Anyway, sex. Right. Ow.

“This is your fault, don’t blame me. Wake up and I’ll stop.

“ _Anyway_. Sex. You’re bottoming this time. Yes, I just went there. _Ow_ , jeez… I’m not stopping. Nope. I know, I know, you ‘don’t bottom’, but it’s gonna happen. _Ow_. Jeez, you’re like a brain freeze. A bond freeze. Hehe… yes, I’m a dork, but you can’t stop me. I actually like this. You can’t stop me. Bwahaha.

“Yes, I laughed maniacally. Anyway, back to sex. Ow. Ow. Nope, not stopping.

“Our man-sex will be so hot it’s gonna melt this brain freeze. Yep, and-… Okay, I know what I felt that time. You _did_ squeeze my hand. Are you awake? No? Fuck. Yes, fuck me. With hot man-sex all night long, with your loud declaration and- _owwww_ …

“No, I’ll fuck you, that better?

“ _OW_ , fuck, okay, no, not better.

“Then you better wake up. Because I’m impatient and I said so. And I will ask for that aspirin and keep talking about sex. Oh, God, I sound like a sex addict now. Look what you’ve done to me! Hurry up and wake up and fix it.

“Kieron… I’m serious. Wake up. I’m not sure how much longer Ashere’s gonna let me stay in here. He insists that I rest. Why the hell did you make him promise to look after me? I don’t need a mother-hen. I don’t like eggs _that_ much.

“Yes, I did make a stupid joke. Because you won’t wake up. Please wake up.

“Wakey-wakey, eggs and bakey. Wakey-wakey-wakey…”

Blue eyes snapped open. I froze, unable to move, only able to stare, my hand tightening in its grip. For a moment the blue gaze stared up at the ceiling, as Kieron’s chest rose up and down in quiet, even breaths. Then he snapped his gaze toward me, and his eyes narrowed.

“Kieron,” I breathed, heart racing in my chest, because I hadn’t realized exactly how much I _hated_ his eyes being closed until now.

“As soon as I can,” he said quietly, “I’m going to kill you.”

I choked out a laugh which sounded a lot more like a sob, but I didn’t care. Instead I bowed my head down, him half-cradled in my lap, and touched my forehead to his, allowing my eyes to drift shut in silent relief. Despite the confidence in my voice and how much I talked to him, there had been a part of me which worried he would never wake up.

Could perpetuals become vegetables?

_Don’t think about it. Nope. Not thinking about it. Kieron’s okay._

He was _okay_.

Breathing, awake, _living_ …

Not still, breathless, _dying_ …

“Stop that.”

I blinked my eyes open. “Stop what?”

He scowled, watching me, eyes almost crossed since I was so close, our foreheads pressed together. “Your thumb.”

“My…?”

It was then I realized my thumb was steadily tracing circles over his knuckles, my fingers still threaded with his. I grinned.

“No.”

“Stop.”

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“Make me,” I breathed.

Kieron took in a breath. Held it. Released it slowly. I could almost picture him counting to ten in his head. “Yep. Gonna kill you when I can.”

“Nah, you wouldn’t do that.”

“I would.”

“Nope. You love me.”

He sighed and closed his eyes. I tried not to snap at him to open them again. Instead I took in a breath and stopped tracing my thumb over his knuckles.

“Do you?” I asked quietly.

“Do I what?” he asked, his voice just as quiet, half yawn and half question.

He was tired. I should let him sleep.

 _Should_.

“Do you love me?”

“Do you love me?” he asked back, and I wasn’t sure if it was a serious inquiry or if he was simply mocking me.

“I…”

“You don’t believe in love,” Kieron said.

“I… I guess I don’t. But…” I took in a breath, the pieces clicking together in my mind. My eyes slid closed. “If I _did_ believe in love… I’d love you.”

More silence. At first I thought he was pissed at me, because as a perpetual, the thought of love might send him running in the opposite direction, but then I realized what was different.

Now it was _his_ thumb tracing patterns over _my_ knuckles.

I opened my eyes. His were still closed, breaths even and deep. He looked half-asleep, so maybe he didn’t know what he was doing. Maybe he didn’t even hear me.

Then again…

“If you believed in love… would you love me?” I asked quietly, my words breathed into his hair, the soft strands tickling the bottom half of my face.

The thumb stilled. Other than that, nothing changed. Maybe he fell asleep.

I sighed and was about to pull away when his thumb started moving again. His eyes flickered open, only thin blue slits, full of exhaustion, but open all the same.

“I think if it was possible,” he breathed, eyes sliding shut again, “I would.”

I released a sound which could have been a laugh or a sigh, and tightened my hold on his hand. “Get some sleep, Kie. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Mm…” he mumbled.

I closed my eyes and breathed in the scent of him, and a moment later, his thumb stopped moving and he drifted off to sleep.

But that was okay, because that presence never completely left my mind.

And when I thought about sex, I got a headache. But it was a good hurt.

And for the first time in my life… I actually felt _alive_.

And I was home.


	60. Aggressor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're feeling more angry than usual. No, that's not right. More aggressive. And you don't like it. Hopefully Kieron has answers.

Chapter Sixty: Aggressor

 

Days passed slowly. Kieron got better as the days went on and Arabeth wasn’t needed to do the Reading because he woke up. Ashere got quite the shock when he opened the door, intent on making me leave, and found Kieron breathing and us holding hands still. I was half asleep at the time, curled around him and all his lively warmth, and nearly growled when Ashere’s hand landed on my shoulder.

            I woke only long enough to tell him that, yes, Kieron was alive and yes, he did wake up. And no, his services were not required, because I could handle this. It took some convincing – and for Kieron to wake up and snap at him to shut up so he could sleep – but he finally sighed and left the room, leaving the two of us alone.

            For two days I stayed in Kieron’s room with him, leaving only for the restroom. I didn’t actively feel hunger, either because I just wanted to stay put and sleep or because I still ached from my previous injuries, despite the fact they were healing quite nicely. Ever since Kieron woke up, the healing jump-started and seemed to be making up for lost time. What was a barely closed wound was now only a thin pink line, a vague memory of what had nearly killed me.

            I was worried about that – about him healing me when he wasn’t in the condition to be doing so, but he was never awake long enough for me to ask him about it, or tell him to stop. He woke for a few minutes here and there but always drifted off to sleep again, before we could really have a conversation beyond ‘how are you feeling’.

            He was getting better, though. He could stay awake longer if he wanted to, but inevitably always crashed somewhere in the conversation. He could still hold a decent conversation, though, and it was obvious he was doing better. The wound was healing further, and every time he woke, he seemed more alert and aware than the time before. Steadily things were returning to normal.

            Quietly, a few days later, I slipped away from the warm body against my side – what Kieron didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, so I could cuddle if I wanted – and sighed as I pried open the door, revealing Ashere standing there. He frowned at me, glancing over my shoulder, toward Kieron, and I couldn’t stifle the growl which caught in my throat. I still had this odd possessive streak going. Kieron’s awakening did nothing to lessen it despite how much I wanted it to go away, because I didn’t like being angry with people for simply _looking_ at the immortal.

            _My_ immortal.

            _Mine_.

            Primal need, primal instinct. _Mine_.

            I would have to ask Kieron about this, I knew. Thus far he had avoided the matter like a pro. Always something to distract me, be it a sudden headache – _damn it, Kieron_ – or him actually being the one to initiate contact… but it was always something.

            “Can I help you?” I asked, unable to stop the way I glared at Ashere, who focused his gaze on me instead of over my shoulder.

            “Dinner’s done,” he said quietly.

            “Okay, thanks,” I said. “I’ll come down and get a tray.”

            We were staying in what seemed like an old townhouse, with large rooms and two floors. Kieron’s room (as well as the room I woke up in) were upstairs.

            “We should help Kieron downstairs,” Ashere said, shaking his head. “It would do him some good to get out of this room, I’m sure.”

            I cocked my head to the side because that was true. Kieron had been in here for most of the time he’d been awake, leaving only to escape to the bathroom two doors down. Getting him out of this room would definitely do him some good, but he couldn’t stay awake for very long. I wasn’t sure how that would work out, but was willing to try, if that was what Kieron wanted.

            “I’ll ask him,” I promised, quietly edging the door shut. Ashere sighed and stepped back, allowing me to do so, and his footsteps echoed down the hallway and onto the stairs.

            I turned back toward Kieron and sat on the edge of the bed, much as I had done when I first woke him a few days ago.

            “Kie,” I said quietly, lightly brushing his bangs back, “time to wake up. Food, Kie. Don’t make me say it because you know I will… _wakey-wa_ -“

            Blue eyes snapped open, irritation throbbing against my mind, and I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my face.

            “Hey,” I said in greeting.

            He glared. “What?”

            “Food,” I said. “Ashere said dinner’s ready and he thinks it’s a good idea to kick you out of this room, so if you want… you can go downstairs and eat.”

            “Gee, that’s mighty kind of you,” he mocked, rolling his eyes. “I don’t need permission, you know.”

            “I know.”

            He sighed and shoved his arms under him, pushing himself into a sitting position. I moved away as he threw his legs over the side of the bed and got to his feet, but not before pausing, swaying somewhat. I latched onto his arm despite the scowl he tossed my way, but I knew he was dizzy. He was doing a lot better but was still far too fatigued. But I guessed being tired was better than being dea _-_ …

            _No. Not thinking about it._

            Kieron was alive and that was all that mattered. We were both alive, somehow, and were still together. I wasn’t somewhere with the Master, and Kieron wasn’t the opposite of living.

            We made it out of the room and down the hallway, but stopped when we approached the stairs. Kieron looked at them with this determined glint in his eyes, but I refused to release his arm. Walking down the hall was one thing – stairs were another.

            “I’m not an invalid,” he snapped, tossing me a quick glare.

            “I know,” I said, “but I don’t want you falling flat on your face. So suck it up or I’ll have Ashere _carry_ you.”

            His eyes narrowed further. “You wouldn’t.”

            “I _would_ , and he’d be more than happy to do it.”

            At this, I couldn’t stop the growl from rising in my throat.

            _God damn possessiveness… make it stop. Please._

            “Why am I-“ I tried, but he cut me off by practically running down the stairs, tearing free of my grip. “Kieron!”

            I caught up to him at the bottom of the stairs, taking in the wide eyes and the pale skin, rings under his eyes. I snagged his arm and forced him to stand still and breathe for a minute, because _fuck_ , he wasn’t ready yet.

            Not for that. Not to run down the stairs when he was fucking _stabbed through_ with a _poisonous blade_ not that long ago. For all intents and purposes, he had been _dead_ for a little while, _should have_ died, and…

            I felt sick to my stomach just thinking about it. It would have been my fault. It was all my fault…

            A palm hit me across the top of my head and I blinked, focusing on Kieron’s irritated face. “What was that for?”

            “If you’re going to insist on forcing your thoughts on me, the least you could do is think happy shit,” he said, rolling his eyes.

            “Well, _sorry_ ,” I muttered, “but it’s not like I can control it! You won’t tell me _anything_ about it or-“

            “Boys,” Ashere said, cutting us off as he stood in the doorway to the kitchen, “you’re both great, now can we please eat? Kieron, sit down before you fall down.”

            “Fuck you,” Kieron said.

            I nodded, gesturing at Kieron. “I’m with him.”

            Ashere rolled his eyes and jerked his thumb over his shoulder, toward the kitchen. “Get your asses in there before I make you.”

            Kieron snorted but did as he said, and we both entered the kitchen and sat at the round table. The chairs were hard, squeaky and uncomfortable but Kieron seemed happy with it. He was probably tired of laying down all the time, despite the fact he was always so tired.

            I’d asked Ashere why he slept so much, but he said I shouldn’t be too worried about it, which was a relief. It was just how they healed, and Kieron had suffered a fatal wound and it was a miracle he was even still _alive_ , and despite how much I asked, Ashere had no answers for me in that regard. I thought maybe he was still in shock.

            Which left me wondering, yet again, just how _close_ he and Kieron actually were.

            Because perpetuals couldn’t _care_ , right?

            I shut those thoughts down when Kieron tossed me a glare as he stabbed into the odd meat on his plate. It looked like some kind of green sausage and I poked at mine with a fork, wondering if it was safe to eat. Kieron liked it, though, so I might as well try it.

            I caught a piece on my fork and shoved it into my mouth, chewing a few times before I sighed happily. That was delicious! Etherian food always amazed me.

            “How are you feeling, Kieron?” Ashere asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence. Kieron swallowed down what was left of his food and shrugged, leaning back in his chair.

            “Tired. Sore. The usual,” he said, sighing.

            “I know it sucks,” Ashere said, “but it will be okay.”

            His hand landed on Kieron’s shoulder, a comforting gesture between friends, but my eyes narrowed into a glare and I found myself growling yet again, somewhat louder this time. Kieron sighed and looked at me while Ashere quickly retracted his hand, looking down at his plate.

            “Please tell me you can make that stop,” I said, frowning at Kieron. “I don’t like growling all the time. Why am I doing that?”

            “You have to tell him,” Ashere said.

            Kieron groaned. “I will eventually.”

            “No,” I said, “tell me now. Now is as good a time as any. Why the hell am I all possessive and crap now?”

            Ashere shoved his chair back and got to his feet. “I have, uh… something to do. Bye.”

            He hurried out of the room while I focused all of my attention on Kieron.

            “Human… now?”

            I nodded. “Yes, now. If not now, when?”

            “I don’t know… when I can stay awake for more than an hour?”

            I shook my head. “Now’s a good time. Just… tell me. It can’t be that hard. Why am I feeling like this all of the sudden?”

            I knew he heard most of what I said when I was talking to him, trying to wake him up that first time. He knew I was feeling possessive and he knew I didn’t like it, and I didn’t understand it. Yet, he had thus far told me nothing about it.

            He sighed and scrubbed a hand across his face, giving into a slow nod. “Alright,” he muttered. “It’s because of the bond.”

            “Why? It wasn’t like this before.”

            “Yeah, well, I wasn’t in your fucking _limbo_ before.”

            I stared at him. “You said you didn’t remember that.”

            I’d asked him about it, of course. Asked if he remembered, if he knew why he would have been there… and he just said he didn’t know what I was talking about.

            He snapped his mouth shut.

            “Kieron, you lied. Why?”

            “I’m tired.”

            He started to get to his feet. I growled and jumped up, pushing him back down, because we were going to talk about this, dammit, even if it took all day.

            “Just tell me,” I said. “It can’t be that hard. Why am I possessive and why did you lie?”

            “Because I don’t have answers,” he snapped, glaring at me. “I don’t know why I was in your fucking limbo. I don’t know why either of us remembered. I don’t know why I’m fucking _alive_ and I don’t know how to fucking _feel_ about that!”

            I stared at the outburst, at the rising tone of his voice, at the sudden widening of his eyes. I swallowed, one hand firm on his shoulder as I stood next to him. “What do you mean?” I asked quietly.

            He took in a slow breath. “I told you, human. I wanted to die.”

            My lungs constricted and I couldn’t breathe. His expression softened somewhat, and yet also changed. Contorted.

            “I didn’t mean to say that,” he said quietly. He pushed to his feet and this time I let him. “Let’s not talk here.”

            I nodded and numbly followed him out of the kitchen and toward the stairs. Once we made it to his room, I collapsed onto the bed, feeling shaky all over, steel bands around my lungs, forever constricting, heart hammering in my chest. Kieron sat next to me on the bed, sighing heavily.

            “You don’t mean that,” I said, staring blankly at the wall in front of me. “You don’t want to die.”

            “I did,” Kieron said. “Always wanted to. _Always_. Was just never able to. Always healed. Always un-did the damage. Always woke up.”

            I swallowed, a lump forever stuck in my throat because my mind kept jumping back to his words when he was _dying_ , gasping for breath and-

            “I always wanted to die, and I finally had a chance to do so,” he said slowly, quietly, like I was a cornered animal he had to talk down. I slammed my eyes closed. “I was finally dying. For real. And… fuck it all, all I could think about was…”

            He cut himself off with this odd mangled sound which could have been a laugh, a sigh or a snort, or some odd mixture of all three. I opened my eyes and looked at him, frowning at the torn expression on his face, because that was a look I really didn’t like seeing on him. His gaze was focused steadily on the ground, blue eyes locked on a target I couldn’t see.

            “Was what?” I prodded, voice rough due to that lump in my throat and the way my lungs hurt, the way my heart raced far too fast. “All you could think about was what?”

            He shook his head, sighing heavily, scrubbing a hand across his face. “I’m tired.”

            “I know,” I said. “But answer me. You owe me, Kieron. You… what was all you could think about?”

            “Human…”

            “Humor me,” I said, reaching out to grab his arm. “You just… fuck, you just said you wanted to die, okay? _Again_. So… so I need you to answer me. Or… Or I’m going to bring Ashere in here and… and have him knock some sense into you, okay? So just… answer me.”

            His gaze slid from the floor toward me, scanning over my face. I stared back, refusing to budge, and he finally sighed and gave into a slow nod.

            “All I could think about… while getting what I wanted…” He took in a breath, ran his tongue across his lips, and averted his gaze. “Was _you_.”

            Everything stopped.

            It took my lungs screaming for me to realize I wasn’t breathing, and I shakily drew in a ragged breath, unable to stop staring at Kieron, my perpetual. _Mine_. With a sound which could have been a laugh or a strangled cry, I latched onto him, throwing my arms around his shoulders in an awkward hug as I all but pulled him into my lap. He stiffened but didn’t fight me for very long, exhausted muscles ready to lay down, and I held tight to him.

            “Kie, I…”

            I what?

            There was a lot I wanted to say, but nothing seemed quite right.

            _Thanks for telling me._

_I’m sorry you ever wanted to die._

_I’m sorry I ruined it… am I?_

_I love you._

_I might love you._

_I could maybe love you if I knew what it was._

            Nothing seemed right and my mind just kept _spinning_ and I didn’t know what to fucking _do_ because what could I do after he told me _that_ -

            Warm, soft, pliable lips pressed solidly against mine, quickly shattering my thoughts, and I hugged the warm body closer to me. Kieron’s own arms came around me as well, encircling my waist, and I was shoved backward and down, my back pressed firmly into the cushion of the bed while Kieron pinned me down, mouth still pressed against mine.

            He growled when I nipped at his lip, but I simply laughed.

            It was only when I opened my eyes and noticed the exhaustion darkening his own that I managed to push him off me, pulling away. He scowled but I shook my head, holding a hand out to stop him.

            “You’re still healing and I know you’re exhausted,” I said with an apologetic smile. “When you’re better…”

            He sighed and nodded, rolling away from me, collapsing onto his back as he brought an arm up and tossed it over his eyes, elbow sticking into the air. I lay down next to him, staring up at the ceiling.

            “Please tell me you don’t want to die anymore,” I said quietly, unable to look at him for fear that I would hate his answer.

            He took a moment to answer, but when he did, I felt myself smile. “No… I don’t. You… ruined me, human.”

            “I’m sorry,” I said, looking over at him. “But I can fix you if you want.”

            He snorted, but the sound was quiet and subdued and I knew I was losing him to sleep.

            “Before you sleep, why am I possessive?” I asked, frowning as I lightly nudged his arm. “Kieron?”

            “You’re… the… aggres…sor…” Kieron breathed, drifting off to sleep. His breaths deepened and evened out and that light little half-snore he sometimes got started up almost immediately, leaving me staring at him.

            “Kie?”

            Silence.

            “Fuck. What’s an aggressor?”

            I had absolutely no idea.

 

I didn’t get a chance to ask Ashere about what an aggressor was. Scratch that, I _did_ get a chance to ask him but he scurried off as though he didn’t hear me calling out to him, so I scoffed and returned to Kieron’s room. Kieron was doing better than he was yesterday, and better than the day before that, but he was still sleeping the majority of the time.

            When he woke up, I gave him a drink of water – as was the usual – and scowled as he pushed himself into a sitting position. He did this every time he woke up despite the fact he always inevitably slipped back down onto his back a few minutes later.

            “So what’s an aggressor?” I asked as soon as he was seat against the headboard.

            His eyes snapped toward me, twin slits narrowed into an angry glare but I simply smiled back at him. “Can’t it wait until-”

            “Nope,” I said, cutting him off. “You fell asleep on me last time. What’s an aggressor, and why am I that, and why does it make me possessive? Last time I checked, _you’re_ not that possessive.”

            Although, a part of me wouldn’t mind if he _was_. A part of me actually liked the thought of that – someone being possessive over me, jealous and whatnot. I thought sometimes John did that, but after what happened between us… I wasn’t even sure if we were still friends. It was also something I didn’t want to think about, especially not when Kieron could essentially hear… my thoughts…

            “Sorry,” I said in response to his narrowed-eyed look. “Anyway, what is it and why?”

            He scrubbed a hand across his face. For the first time I noticed the stubble. The whole time we’d been traveling together, I’d never seen him shave but he never really had any stubble, either. He always looked mostly the same and I just assumed immortals didn’t need to shave or get haircuts and whatnot, because his hair didn’t seem any longer than usual. Now, though, I definitely noticed the stubble.

            He looked kind of cute with it, actually.

            “It’s not unheard of,” he said finally, “but rare.”

            “Rare? Why? And what is it?”

            Why did he always have to dance around my questions?

            “Let me rephrase. It’s common between bonded people, but not common when it concerns perpetuals. There is no aggressor between Ashere and Blaine, for instance, nor is there one between my parents. To have an aggressor means to have a sincere enough, and deep enough, bond or connection between the two who are bonded.”

            I frowned. “Okay… I think I understand,” I said.

            There was something like that on Earth, of course. If two people were dating, usually at least one of them would become jealous if someone got too close to the other, and would also become protective. This was usually seen as the ‘male’s’ role, but I never actually thought about it when it concerned two guys.

            “But I’m not the type to… I’m not the jealous type,” I said, because I never _had_ been.

It had been the topic of conversation between myself and some of my actual serious attempts at a relationship. I was never jealous if they wanted to spend time with someone else. Who was I to stop them? And then they inevitably cheated on me or dumped me and things always ended badly. That was why it was so simple with Rufus – we never defined what we had, and thus he could sleep around if he wanted and I had no right to get angry, and we never really fought because we were never technically together.

Now, though…

I wanted it to stop.

“I don’t know why you’re the aggressor,” Kieron said with a small shrug.

“I’m not top, you mean?”

Kieron tossed me a small glare. “It’s not like that. Aggressors aren’t defined by being the ‘top’ or dominant one in the relationship. They are simply the most protective, and it shows through the bond. The bond recognizes it as being the aggressor, assessing every unwanted touch or look as a ‘threat’ and thus behaves accordingly.”

“I’m the most protective? But… but you’ve saved me a lot more!”

“That has nothing to do with it,” Kieron said, shaking his head. “I would die for you – but you nearly killed yourself out of guilt and somehow attached me to your limbo. That screams of something bigger than a mere bond of duty. I’m a perpetual – I’m not used to any of this. So maybe that’s why you’re the aggressor – because you know how to show your emotions, and you have the ability to care.”

“You care too,” I murmured, frowning. “Don’t give me that crap about not being able to care. I know you do.”

His eyes slid closed, his head leaning back against the headboard, hands lost somewhere in the tangle of covers around him. “Either way, human, you’re the most protective, the most ‘caring’ and thus the you’re the aggressor. Deal with it.”

“How do I make it stop?” I asked. “I don’t like being like this!”

He scoffed. “You should have thought about that before you shoved me into your limbo.”

I glared at him. “Like I could help it! Fuck, okay, sorry, I don’t want to fight.” I took in a breath and released it slowly, counting to ten in my head. When I felt more calm, I looked back at Kieron to find him watching me with barely parted eyes. “Okay. Is there a way we can work on it, if we can’t make it stop? Because how are we supposed to function when I can’t even let _Ashere_ near you?”

“It won’t be like that with everyone,” Kieron said. “You just perceive Ashere as a threat.”

“What, and I don’t think the screamers are threatening?”

How would it not be like that with everyone?

“Well, yeah – but that’s a different kind of threat. With Ashere your mind perceives him as a romantic threat. You seem to think there is something between me and him and thus you’re acting accordingly. Bond-mates can be very protective of each other, and possessive, as you keep saying.”

“Is there?” I asked quietly.

“Is there what?”

“Anything between you two?”

It had been on my mind for a while, I just hadn’t been aware Kieron knew about it yet. Then again, I wasn’t sure how much of my thoughts he was hearing. I needed to work on more control but I wasn’t used to having to filter _my own mind_.

Kieron shook his head, scowling at me. “Of course not. We had fun together in the past. That’s it. Besides, he’s loyal to Blaine.”

“And are you loyal to me?”

“What do you think?”

It was a rhetorical question, but I thought about it nevertheless. What did I think? He practically died for me. Because of me. He kept coming back for me, even when it wasn’t in his best interests. So, yes. I did think he was loyal to me.

I nodded and smiled at him. “Alright. I’ll try not to growl at Ashere as much.”

“Keep doing it,” Kieron said with a smirk. “It flusters him and makes him leave quickly. I think you scare him.”

My eyes widened. “ _Me_?” I spluttered. “Scare _him_? He’s a perpetual!”

“Yeah, but you’re my bond-mate and you’re the aggressor… of a perpetual. It’s uncommon and rare and you can see us, so he’s not entirely sure what you’re capable of.”

“What am I capable of? Why… why am I _here_?”

Kieron’s smirk disappeared. “I don’t know. I just know it was foretold. I don’t have all the answers, human.”

“I know,” I sighed, shaking my head. If I’d learned anything after everything we’d been through, it was that he was kept in the dark just as much as me. “I just… wish I knew what was expected of me.”

Why perpetuals were dying because of me.

What the Master wanted with me.

Why _Kieron_ nearly died because of me…

Something jabbed harshly into my ribs and I coughed out a breath, frowning at Kieron who sat there, glaring at me.

“Happy thoughts, dammit,” he said with this scowl on his face, and I burst out laughing because that scowl combined with that tone and those words… priceless.

“Sorry,” I said through a grin. “Hey, why can’t I hear your thoughts if you can hear mine?”

“Because I have control,” Kieron said, rolling his eyes. “I’ve had practice keeping my thoughts to myself… just haven’t had practice tuning yours out.”

I rolled my eyes. I wanted to ask him about it but he looked more tired than he had a few minutes ago, and I felt he’d sufficiently answered my questions well enough for the time being. Perhaps, in a few days, when he was feeling better and could stay awake longer, we could discuss it more in-depth.

Right now, though, I had this uncontrollable urge to ruffle his hair.

And ruffle it I did.

And if that led to him pinning me down and our mouths tangled in a dance of tongues, well…

I certainly wasn’t complaining.


	61. Epilogue: Ripples

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For every action there is a reaction. Consequences. Ripples.

Epilogue: Ripples

 

As usual, I always went downstairs to retrieve a glass of water. Kieron claimed he was thirsty and I liked to have water on hand anyway. I wasn’t entirely sure where we were – city, town, country – but the townhouse was fairly large, consisting of two floors. Kieron was getting better at going up and down the stairs, and could hold a decent conversation for at least a half hour, perhaps more, but then he always started to drift off. I was worried about this, but there was little I could do to speed up the healing process, especially when he always seemed to be healing me against my will. I’d tried bringing it up once, but he just glared at me and never replied, and I’d gotten a rather bad headache that day.

            I hadn’t tried again.

            On this day, though,I was intercepted on my way to the kitchen. Ashere snagged my arm once I stepped off the stairs and led me into the living room, which I had only been in once before, and only in passing.

            There was nothing special about it, though. It didn’t scream of home, or of anything, really. It was a nearly empty room complete with only a wooden floor, blank tan walls, and a single couch somewhere in the middle of the room. On this couch, though, sat someone I didn’t recognize.

            Ashere led me to this woman.

            Dark brown eyes blinked up at me. Dark red hair fell into her face in long, wispy waves as she got to her feet and extended a gloved hand toward me, full lips curving into a faint smile which reminded me oddly of Kieron, that secretive little grin.

            “Terry, right?” she asked quietly.

            I nodded. “Yeah, that’s me. Who…?”

            _Who is this?_

            “My name is Bekkah,” she said after we shook, dropping her hand back to her side, fingers lightly caressing the folds in her red shirt. “I am here to see both you and Kieron, if that is okay.”

            I hesitated. Kieron was barely able to stay awake more than a half hour. Healing took a lot out of him, especially when he seemed so intent on healing me as well, despite the fact I was _fine_. He had been closer to death than me, after all.

            Finally I nodded, though, because the woman looked nice enough. I had to remind myself that the Master looked normal enough, too, but was anything but normal or nice. Still, though, I didn’t get an evil vibe from her and I couldn’t see the harm in her talking to the both of us. Kieron was awake at the moment, though I wasn’t sure for how much longer.

            “Okay,” I sighed, nodding, frowning at Ashere in confusion.

            Ashere nodded and sighed, looking at me. “Bekkah works for the Order,” he explained. “She’s like Kieron.”

            “Like…?” I asked, frowning, because that didn’t quite seem possible. What did that even mean?

            “That’s his nice way of saying I’m low on the food chain,” she said, rolling those dark brown eyes. “Anyway, this won’t take long. I know you both are probably exhausted and need your rest after what happened.”

            I nodded, frowning, but finally turned and led her toward the stairs. She followed me up them and into the room I was sharing with Kieron. Quietly, I closed the door behind us and approached the bed. Kieron’s eyes were closed but I knew he wasn’t asleep. His eyes blinked open the moment I sat next to him on the bed, as had become our custom the past few days. It was this nice, quiet little ritual I found I actually enjoyed.

            Kieron’s eyes slid away from me and toward the newcomer. “Bekkah?” he asked, frowning.

            “Hello,” she said with a smile. “You look like hell, you know.”

            “Fucking thanks. I’ll get right on that.”

            “Mm, please see that you do. You’re making me look bad.”

            Kieron rolled his eyes, pushing himself into a sitting position. “What are you doing here?”

            The smile slid off Bekkah’s face. Silence wrapped around the three of us, thick and heavy, and I didn’t realize my hand was moving until it stopped atop Kieron’s wrist, fingers right above the pulse-point.

            “Ripples, Kieron,” she said quietly.

            “Ripples?” I echoed, frowning.

            She nodded. “A lot happened, after… well, after you two disappeared with Ashere. Exrie hasn’t been caught yet.”

            “Who?”

            She frowned. “Exrie – the Master,” she clarified, shaking her head. “Right, sorry, I forgot you two have been out of the loop for a while now. Anyway, he got away and no one knows where he went, but that’s not the main concern right now.”

            “How the hell is that not the main concern?” I asked, eyes narrowing into angry slits, because _what the hell_? That should have been the biggest concern on their minds, over everything else, no matter what! He caused so much death and pain and…

            He needed to be stopped.

            “Ripples,” she said again.

            “The hell does that mean?”

            “Exrie tried to kill you, Kieron. And he very nearly succeeded,” Bekkah said, watching the blue-haired immortal. “In fact, he _should_ have succeeded. The fact you are even alive is a miracle in and of itself, and unprecedented. And believe me when I say it will probably be tested, because the Order’s not too happy.”

            I wasn’t aware I was growling until Kieron’s fingers entwined with mine, a calmness brushing against my consciousness. Warmth ebbed through my veins and I felt myself relaxing involuntarily.

            “In killing perpetuals,” she continued as though I never growled, “he broke several of our laws, not to mention he decimated our beliefs. Perpetuals are dying. There is more than one weapon which has been found. We still are not entirely sure what is making them, or how they are being made, but they’re definitely out there, waiting.

            “The hard part comes when you add in the aftermath of all of this. Not only perpetuals were killed, you know. So were normal Etherians. The screamers tested the knives on Etherians first, then managed to capture a few perpetuals, who were also killed. None of them are happy. A Tribunal met two days ago to decide what to do next, and it’s happened.”

            “Happened?” I asked, because I had no idea what she was talking about. Kieron’s grip tightened marginally against mine and I held my breath, waiting for the anvil to drop.

            Bekkah took in a breath and released it slowly, looking at the ground for a long moment before she finally dragged her gaze back up, looking from me to Kieron and back at me again. “A war has started,” she said quietly. “I don’t know all the details, I just know that it has unofficially been declared and it’s only a matter of time before the paperwork is sorted out and it becomes official, and the killing really starts.”

            Silence, for a long moment.

            “But… _really starts_?” I echoed, eyes wide. “You mean it hasn’t even _started_ yet? But… people have died!”

            Many had died. I didn’t know how many perpetuals, how many Etherians, but I knew there was a death toll, and it was only rising. Blood on my hands… because of me…

            My head throbbed sharply and I quickly brushed those thoughts away, even as Kieron tossed me a sideways glare before returning his focus to Bekkah.

            “This is the preamble,” Bekkah said, shaking her head, long, wavy strands surrounding her face. “The calm before the storm, as you would say. A war hasn’t been declared here – against our own people, between and among Etherians – in nearly 500 years. We have joined in on human affairs from time to time, but this… this is different.”

            Silence again. My head ached and my mind spun around me. It was certainly a lot to take in, and I didn’t really want to think about it. All I wanted right now was to lay down and go to sleep and keep Kieron next to me, despite how corny that must have sounded. I couldn’t help how I felt, nor could I stop it… nor did I wish to do so.

            “Great,” Kieron breathed, and I looked at him to find his eyes sliding closed, a heavy sigh escaping his barely parted lips. “Just fucking great. Fuck. Anything else?”

            “Well…”

            “What?” I asked, looking back at Bekkah, unconsciously tightening my grip on Kieron’s hand.

            “Etherians are getting restless,” Bekkah said quietly, averting her gaze to the ground for the first time since she’d gotten here. “They blame perpetuals for those who have died, and they’re right because it is essentially perpetuals the screamers and Exrie are after…”

            “What are you saying?” I asked, voice just as quiet. A knot of dread formed in my stomach though I wasn’t sure why. I knew it would be bad but what could be worse than a type of war here in Atlantis?

            Bekkah took in a breath, held it for a moment, and released it slowly, dragging her gaze back up to me and Kieron. “Not only is there a war between Exrie, the screamers and us… but now the general public are waging a sort of civil war against us as well.”

            “What does that mean?” I asked, even as Kieron stiffened next to me. I tightened my grip on his hand even more.

            Bekkah’s expression flattened. “Etherians want perpetuals out of power, and the screamers want the perpetuals gone. Now we are fighting two separate wars. The death toll is steadily rising, and we have to kill the very people perpetuals swore to protect. As if that wasn’t bad enough… the general public wants to get rid of perpetuals…”

            “What does that mean?” I asked.

            “Remember when I said there were was a way to get rid of unwanted perpetuals… back when we couldn’t get killed…” Kieron said quietly, and I stilled, nodding slowly because yes, I did remember him saying something like that.

            “A war is coming,” Bekkah said slowly, “and like it or not, you two are caught in the middle. The majority of us are one your side… and what was foretold once is now happening. However, the screamers are upset that Exrie is upset, and the general public wants those responsible to be _taken care of_. That means _you_.”

            Silence wrapped around us, a heavy, unwanted blanket, and I closed my eyes, sighing heavily.

            “Well,” Kieron said, breaking the silence, “ _fuck_.”

            I choked out a shaky laugh, opening my eyes to look down at the barely open blue gaze. “Yeah,” I said quietly, “that’s one way of putting it.”

 

 

 

 

Read More in the sequel:

Almost Dying


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